The Knight with the Silver Hair
by The Illusive Mann
Summary: Disgruntled, lost, wandering, a mercenary travels around the galaxy living from job to job, until he gets an offer too hard to pass up on. (Rated M for: Language, violence, future lemons)
1. Chapter 1: Contract Negotiations

On most planets it would be considered late at night. Here on the Citadel day and night cycles were ruled by bulilt in clocks, not the natural order of the Stars which so many visiting were used to. Because of this the times of day never seemed to change unless you wanted them to.

Down at Chora's Den however, the nightlife never left. As always the hustle and bustle kept the small establishment busy. What kept it most busy was the man running the place, Fist. Not too many people knew about him other than his employer, the shadow broker.

Then again, maybe the broker did not know him as well as he thought. Allegiances change and the owner was waiting to talk up a known killer about a proposition, one he could not refuse. Fist sat and watched as his contract killer came in the door, and he was not alone.

With a guard standing on either side there walked a man almost as large as a Krogan, but nowhere near as bullheaded. His armor was nearly as black as the eyes of an Asari melding their mind with another. The added weapons and gadgets made it look bulkier than any armor he had come across and that was much coming from a former agent of the Shadow Broker. What disturbed him the most was the skull on his visor. He could only assume that's where his monicker came from.

"Ok, first off, before we move on with our contract negotiation, I'm going to need your helmet to come off." He asked, head resting against his hands on the desk.

The menacing figure was reluctant to take off the helmet, but since the money banked on him being face to face with the client, it was the only way. Sighing so loud Fist could hear it from across the room he took off the bulky armor showing his face to his future employer.

First impressions mattered to Fist, that's how he went off of most his interviews. Combine that with his intuition, which drove him to select those operating and guarding the club and it never failed him. Every talent he selected was almost perfect wherever he put them, the question was would this murder machine be the right candidate for this job, a risky one at that?

"Have you thoroughly looked at the offer I sent you?" He asked

The mercenary nodded in kind, maintaining a blank face as he spoke. "I did. From everything you gave me this should be an easy job. Didn't really understand why you would need somebody like me for a simple capture mission though."

"Hmm, then maybe you should realize what's so important about this target. I wanted to remain as brief as possible in the version of the contract I gave you for one specific reason, secrecy. You see, the job I'm giving you involves sensitive information and a spectre..."

"A spectre?" The mercenary interrupted, almost dumbfounded by the revelation. "Now hold on here, I thought we were dealing with simple hired guns, not council-made tanks."

"No, no, no, you've got it all wrong!" He fired back, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're not going to fight a spectre, you're...you're working for one!"

"Really now? Just why would a spectre need any help?" The merc asked.

"He doesn't really...need the help, more or less wants it so he doesn't have to get his hands dirty."

The merc grunted in approval. All of it seemed agreeable to him, the contract, the need for secrecy, the pay...the pay. Looking at all the zeros on the paycheck just to capture an unprotected target nonetheless would have confused any other hired help, not him. Now came the fun part, actually finding out the objective.

Fist opened up his omnitool, sending a message across the way. Soon his newly hired help received it, blowing the image up on the small screen. One simple glance at the screen made him shudder, not in fear of he target, rather something else, someone else.

"Your objective is to capture this woman dead or alive, preferably dead. Just bring the information she has with you. All of it is vital to my client and yours." He said matter of factly.

"Hmmph, you didn't tell I would be targeting a Quarian." He replied, somewhat shaky in his tone.

"Will that be a problem?" Fist asked, slightly cocking his head to the side.

"No uh, not at all. Consider her taken care of, and you will have the information within the day." He replied, turning to leave.

"A day? I knew you worked fast but how do you intend to..."

Putting his helmet back on he replied, "Let me just say I know Quarians."

The door closed behind him as he stomped out. Both of Fist's men let out a sigh of relief, relaxing after some time of posturing. After sitting back in his chair he waved them back out the door, he needed to be alone.

He reached into one of the columns around him and opened up a secret compartment. No finer wares existed on the counters and shelves of the bar outside, only in his secret stash. Swiveling his head from side to side he examined all the bottles, finally settling on the Batarian brandy he had been saving.

Just as he grabbed onto the neck of the bottle a certain light popped up on his desk. "Fuck" he mumbled as he shut the compartment back into place. His omnitool lit up as he waved a hand over the device. A small lense came down from the ceiling above and the window behind him dimmed to make the room totally dark.

"Did the hired hand ever arrive?" A voice came from the speakers.

Fist waited until the holographic display started up before he continued. As he waited a bright blue image appeared before him, tall, spiny, Turian. The figure stood, hands behind his back, menacingly as he always did.

"Yes, and he seemed a bit much for what we needed."

The other scoffed, "Do you seriously think so? You know the Quarian has information the Shadow Broker would want right? Information your former employer would kill you for and has sent a Krogan to do so."

At the news Fist nearly jumped from where he was looking around the room, causing the Turian to sneer at his employee. "Look at you writhing around like a worm, hmmph. You worry yourself for no reason, I have ways of stopping idiots. Now onto the other matter at hand."

"Right, how do we handle this guy after he gets the goods." Fist replied scratching the back of his head.

The Turian switched on his omnitool, looking at a list of contacts and highlighting every single one. "Don't worry about him. Once everything falls into place, so will he."


	2. Chapter 2: The Hunt is On

Everything about being a gun for hire in this day and age required the utmost preparation. All of the weapons, the timing of everything had to be right, more importantly his contacts. Being in his line of work you had to have a steady stream of "friends" in order to keep a living. These friends also acted as an information network for the kinds of jobs where he was the hunter and his target was the prey.

As best as he could he tried to keep his composure, something he was not used to losing. His helmet helped him hide the slight twitches in his face every now and then, an uncomfortable and almost untameable phenomena. Eyes facing forward they fell upon a small booth run by a Volus.

"You promised me a quality product...and I love it! My wife wants one too!" A Salarian exclaimed as he opened up his omnitool.

"Well, I do always seek out the best of the best. Seeking inferior products is not the way I do business." The Volus replied, wiping imaginary dust off his shoulder. "Now, does she want the same exact one you had or the one with the...'enhancements'?"

"Wait, you sell omnitools with 'enhancements' here?" The Salarian replied, face turning red.

"Absolutely, and I can give you one for..." the plump salesman stopped as he saw the menacing figure behind his customer. "Um...tell you what Jarol, how about we meet back in an hour or so. I don't mean to be rude, but I have an old acquaintance standing right behind you."

Only after he mentioned it did Jarol see the shadow. He stiffened like a tree, thinking the wide frame behind him was a Krogan. Too afraid to even turn around, he waved goodbye and ran the other way. All the Volus could do was groan, more money at risk.

"You know how long it's been since we last spoke?" The hulking gunman asked.

"Hmm, I would say more than a few months. Ever since then I've moved here and set up this fine establishment. Oh and I'm sorry about Kinja..."

The very name caused the mercenary to pound the counter, forming a dent in the metal. He took a step back, fearing what he thought had gone away. Clearing his throat the Volus decided to rethink what he was going to say next.

"My...my apologies. I-I-I guess you're here for information." He cautiously asked.

"Damn straight. I need information on recent arrivals, a Qua...qua..." he struggled to even form the word. "...Quarian to be specific." He replied as his face twitched Under his mask.

The Volus' eyes widened underneath the lenses of his suit. He shook his head in disbelief at the man in front of him. "Arthur no...you can't be serious about doing this. I heard what the doctor said about your state, you can't keep doing this to yourself!"

Leaning on the counter he got in the Volus' face and grappled him by his front chest seal. "I didn't come here for a damn lecture Galu, I came here for information on my next target." He replied with a seething tone in his voice.

"No Arthur I'm not lecturing you, I'm talking to you as a friend, a very concerned friend." He replied as calm as can be, looking around at the worried expressions of others in the marketplace. "After your last mission on earth you told me and Viza you were out of the business for good!"

"Well I was until I got an offer. One million credits for capturing a Q-Q-Quarian, that's all!" Arthur shot back, more twitches than before.

"Do you not even hear yourself, or see what your hands are doing for that matter?" Galu asked concern in his tone.

Breaking eye contact for one moment he didn't even notice his gloves slightly shaking. For just a moment he had to close his eyes and concentrate, focus just like the doctor told him to. The shaking stopped for the time being.

"Please Galu, I know I'm a fuckin mess, but it's gonna be the last one. I'll quit after this, sell the suit, the guns, everything! I've even picked out a nice farm to settle on, some place called Eden Prime."

Galu snorted. "You know you're going to need farmhands right? People to help around the place."

"Not if they're all automated I won't." Arthur replied pulling himself away.

Galu nodded, a sign Arthur had been waiting to see for quite some time. "I really do hope you're sincere. Now, you said you're looking for a Quarian right? Recent arrival?"

"Yeah, uh, her name is Tali, Tali'Zorah."

With a flick of the wrist the trendy salesman opened up his omnitool to message his network. Galu, just like Arthur had his own network of friends, all in the right places. The Volus grunted and mumbled at the messages coming across his screen. Chubby digits scoured through raw data flooding in as well as a few how do you do texts. Then one message in particular popped up.

"Ah, here we are. Miss Nar Rayya arrived earlier today and is currently browsing through a cargo vessel emporium like a Krogan in a gun shop." He said as he closed the camera feed.

"Good work. Send me her location as soon as you can. Oh and Galu..." he hesitated as the Volus looked up. "I'm serious about this, I know just how fucked up I am and know how much the payoff is. I'll use the credits to get some help, I promise."

"Good." Galu emphatically replied. "Maybe I can get Viza to chip in to throw a party afterwards. I might even be able to call in a favor from my friends in the embassy."

"Sounds like a plan." Arthur replied as he walked away. He almost ran into Jarol who had been sitting still the whole time, shaking as if a sudden artic breeze blew by.

As he walked back to the skyacar station he opened up his omnitool, waiting for the message to get to him. On the way there he lifted his eyes for a moment to see a couple by the railing up ahead. An Asari and a Turian, and the two seemed enamored with one another.

The sight did not bother anyone else around him, then again they had not been through the kind of loss he had. Just watching the two reminded him of another time, a past less hellish than the present. A scene quickly flashed before him and dissipated all the same. All the time since then, he had to live with these scars.

Finally the skycar arrived and just in time. His target was on the move from there, and from the footage he saw she was not alone. Sliding into his seat he played back the footage from the emporium and watched as a not so camouflaged Turian couple followed her out of the store.

"Well shit." He muttered under his breath as the door closed. "I hate complications. Then again, I have a gun or two."

Swift hands typed in the destination for the car, even going so far as reprogramming it's safety functions for the quick stop he'd have to make. With a command the skycar raced off into stalwart traffic.

Skycars flew around in every direction as he bolted through the Citadel. Part of him was glad he had the team with him back in the day, all of those hacking lessons were starting to pay off. Adding an override through his omnitool he disabled the VI and GPS system, allowing him to take manual control of the runaway taxi.

Of course he would come across the occasional slow driver, but he had enough room to fly around them. One problem he hoped he wouldn't come across was C-Sec, or as he knew them as glorified traffic cops. Every now and then he would scan off to the left and right to check for the ticket hungry ones, the wolves.

Right as he went through another tunnel he made it down to one of the other merchant wards, his final destination. Checking his omnitool again he saw she was running now, probably panicked. Guess she finally figured out they were tailing her.

At full speed he charged down to the ground where she was and opened the passenger side door. A light on the console lit up, revealing the emergency breaks. He smashed the icon on the dash, nearly damaging the interior and managing to throw him forward in his seat.

"GET IN!" He yelled to the scrambling Quarian, causing her to stop in her tracks.

Now this was not the best of first impressions. Here he was, a stranger in combat armor and a skull for a face telling her to get in the car like the grim reaper. She weighed the options in her head looking back at the two chasing her and decided to take the kindness of a stranger. Seeing their target getting away the gunmen decided to break their cover and whipped out a hand cannon each.

Gunshots flew past the startled Quarian as she ran for cover, one shot managing to strike her arm. Instead of sliding into the car more gracefully she leaped in, cradling the injury as best she could. Arthur quickly whipped out a gun of his own, sending shots back at the attackers. Mashing the emergency icon he hit earlier, the car bolted from the ground and off into the air, closing the door as they disappeared in the artificial atmosphere.

"AGH!" the Quarian passenger cried out in pain.

"Ok, we need to get you to my doctor friend, immediately. Tell me, where were you hit?!" He said as he stared at the Quarian in his lap.

"Arm, my ugh...arm hurts, keelah." She winced as she rolled over.

"Just hold on ok, I know somebody who's patched me up before ok, just hold on. Please, f-f-for the love of..." he said as he trailed off, mumbling about something Tali could not even pick up.

He himself did not even know it but he was shaking again. Slight turns of the car ended up becoming over exaggerated shifts. Breathing exercises, like he tried, did so little in a time when adrenaline ruled over his bodily functions. Then he picked up something out of the corner of his eye.

 **WHAM!**

Another skycar collided with their own. Arthur could not tell by himself if it was intentional or not until the car whipped in midair and came back around again. Silently cursing at himself he opened the driver side door and fired a few shots into the windscreen of the oncoming vehicle. The first few shots peppered the thick glass, but the last impact shattered it, sending the attacker right into oncoming traffic.

Other skycars crashed into one another, making a mess of the place and providing an escape route for the two. Through the smoke and noise they were able to get away, but eyes on the ground said otherwise. A masked Salarian watched through their omnitool camera as the vehicle sped off towards another ward.

"Overwatch reporting in. Strike team Zeta has been thwarted and they're heading off towards the lower wards." He said into the omnitool.

"Copy overwatch. Keep track of the targets and notify us when they stop again." A scrambled voice replied.

"Understood, over and out."

Still zipping around at ridiculous speeds Arthur continued driving as if his life depended on it. In this case however, it was not his own he was driving for. Right below him he could start to hear a cough come from his passenger every now and then, causing the shakes to get worse.

"Dammit! Not again, it's not happening again!" He told himself.

Once again he tried breathing in and out to see if it would work now they were not being followed. His breaths were uneven, some shallow, some full. The inside of his suit felt like a sauna, which never should have happened with the mods he had. Then the worst of all the symptoms happened.

The trembling came back in force when he saw a familiar hand reach for the virtual wheel. Ever since...then he had these hallucinations, and the doctor always told him that's exactly what they were, so he fought back. He pulled back the other direction, fully knowing what it wanted, what it craved. Tears came down his face as he corrected the path and more importantly reactivated the automated driving function.

" _When is it going to end? When are the horrors going to stop?_ " He thought to himself.

Without even thinking about the mission, secrecy, or whatever else he ripped his helmet off and threw it in the passenger floorboard. Both hands free he reached for the air control and turned it down as low as possible. Lucky for him the sweats started to go away but not even a minute after the sudden temperature shift he felt a trembling down below.

He almost forgot who his passenger was for a moment, and more importantly her condition. Moving his finger across the dashboard interface he reset the air control unit to outside temperature. Outside was warmer than he had it, but cool enough to calm him down.

"Fuck I'm so...dammit. Are you still cold?"

"No, but thank you for..." she stopped as a cough interrupted her. "Asking...who are you by the way? I-I-I mean it would be good to know who just swooped in out of nowhere and..."she tried to finish her words but they were quickly cut off by a series of coughs.

Arthur knew what to say, the problem was should he? The mission was to bring her back to Fist, but it seemed Fist wanted her dead more than alive. All his contractor wanted was the information, not he informant. Everything seemed problematic, including the fact he had nothing to cover his face. Even so, he decided on something to say, what exactly he was not even sure.

"I'm just a guy." He replied.

"Just a guy?" She asked, a confused tone in her voice.

" _Damn that was dumb._ " He thought to himself. " _I know I had an episode but I can do better than this!_ "

"Ok, would you like the long or the short version?" He asked, a slight twitch coming and going as he spoke.

Tali had to think and cough on the thought for a moment. "I would prefer as much detail as possible please."

Taking a deep breath Arthur prepared the perfect response. "Oh would you look at that, we're here."

Bolting up from the position she had been in for the past fifteen minutes she looked out the window as they slowly flew by a small open market and a night club. Just right down the way was a sign for a doctors office. The Skycar touched down right where it was programmed to and opened up the doors for each passenger.

When his door opened Arthur sprinted from one side of the car to the other, making sure to put his helmet back on when he reached the other side. With one foot out the door Tali tried to stand up and almost forgot which arm was hit. Arthur simply needed to help her up and instead swept her off her feet.

The Quarian herself was not so sure about being carried around like dead weight, but with the pain and lack of a powerful immune system just went along with it. People stared as the jacked up mercenary carried the Quarian all the way to the clinic, some choosing to make comments among themselves. Stepping in front of the door caused it to open.

" _That's new, then again she probably needs a hands free door for the kinds of injuries she gets._ " He thought to himself.

On the other side of the wall through the door stood a red headed physician. She currently had her back turned to the door, but quickly spun around as a light jingle echoed from her omnitool.

"Hello and welcome to...my God, Arthur? What are you doing here and who is this?"

"Doctor Michel, I know it's been a hot minute and I know you don't like to see this armor but she's got a suit breach in her right arm. She's already breaking out with something."

"Ok, ok, um..." the doctor pondered. "Put her on this table here and retrieve the antibiotics. You know where they're stored."

Following her orders to the letter he carefully set Tali down on the table and then rushed across the room, throwing off the gauntlets of his suit for doctor's gloves. Behind him, doctor Michel worked away on the burn on Tali's arm and patching the breach with what she had on hand while linking her omnitool with her patient's envirosuit. At the moment privacy was not on her mind, urgency was necessary.

"Where are the antibiotics?" She raised her voice from across the room.

"Here doctor!" Arthur replied, running with a small case in hand.

"Good, very good. Also, place a lock on the door. We do not need anyone else coming in here to further contaminate the room, understood?"

He simply nodded as he opened his omnitool and threw an override code at the door, causing the lock to turn bright red. Leaning against the wall he blew out a sigh of relief and pulled his helmet off again. The cool air of the clinic felt great on his sweat laced brow, but the glare he got did not.

"How long has it been since you took your last pill?" She asked, still focusing on the patient before her.

"Really? All this time of not even communicating and you ask me..."

"A legitimate question out of concern Arthur. I received a message earlier from Galu about your encounter. You know the Salarian he was helping out called Citadel security?"

Wiping the sweat off his forehead he closed his eyes, maybe hoping she would stop, and he could hope all he wanted.

"For the last damn time, I know you think you're helping but the pills didn't make things any fucking better!" Arthur replied, a slight hitch in his breath.

"First, watch your language, second, what happened?" She asked, now looking at him right in the eyes.

He paused as he thought on it. "When I was on those...things I had the worst nightmares in my life. They made me replay everything like a horror vid. Doc, you ever replayed the biggest fuckup in your life over and over again?"

Trying to focus back on her work she shook her head. "No. I do get reminded about my failures now and again, but nothing that dramatic...wait, are you still seeing those hallucinations?"

Suddenly the air got warm. Right across from the doctor sat a familiar figure, wanted and unwanted all the same. Arthur tried shutting his eyes again, shaking his head at the premise she might go away, but no she stayed, almost taunting him.

"Arthur, follow me please." She said as she walked away from the now unconscious Quarian on the bed.

Looking back and forth between the doctor and the bedside he saw the figure had vanished. Not wanting to see "her" again he followed her to the other side of the room where she pulled him away.

"Why did you not follow up with the psychiatrist I mentioned?" She asked.

"I did actually." He said, thumbing his nose. "Problem was he's fuck...sorry, he's dead."

Shaking her head the good doctor could not believe the revelation. "How did...who did it?"

"You know damn well who." He replied.

Throwing her gloves away she tried to cover her eyes and the tears. Arthur just stood there, thinking about the moment he found out first hand. Dealing with the thoughts were not as hard for him as they were for her.

"I just thought he never responded because of his aspirations. He told me years ago he wanted to open a clinic out in the traverse and help out the colonies lacking infrastructure. I can't believe it." She said, sniffling with every few words.

"It's unfortunate the universe we live in." He replied.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Dr. Michel shot back.

Arthur shrugged, "I dunno, maybe it's because we live in a universe with a lot of people we pissed off."

"You always had a way with words, even if you do come off as a cold bastard!" She replied, shaking her head.

"You know, that's the first time I've ever heard you break your curse rule."

The doctor grimaced as she wiped the tears from her eyes using a tissue from the table next to her. "People tend to do that when they think their friend finally did 'the deed'. For months I waited for a response after Galu got word your ship was destroyed. Somehow both you and Kinja were the only survivors."

Arthur's face twisted as the sound of her name, causing the doctor to back up. His left hand began to shake at his side, and he tried to cover it up by putting it into a fist, but the good doctor knew what was going on. Reaching for the disobedient limb she unfolded his hand and watched as each digit trembled before her.

"PTSD...we live in a day and age where medicine can do so much and still cannot cure some ails of the mind." She said as she smoothed his hand out with her own.

"And what if it's not the mind Doc?"

"You're talking pseudoscience Arthur." She scoffed.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Your pills didn't do much in helping me, and trust me I tried everything else to plug the leak. Drinking didn't solve a damn thing, that's how I got kicked out of a bar on Illium. I tried getting into acupuncture and that shit hurt more than helping me. I also tried flirting with a Krogan once..."

Doctor Michel snickered at the last one. "Wait, flirting with a Krogan?"

"Doc, I'm not fucking joking. Remember when you talked about me doing 'the deed' earlier?"

It took less than a split second to make her realize what he was saying. The sudden look of horror on her face told it all. Without another word she wrapped her arms around him, as well as she could in his armor.

"But...how are you still here? Was the Krogan drunk or..."

"No, but you know what the dumbest shit is? She didn't even try to kill me. For some reason I managed to pick some moron that decided to give me a life lesson instead of what I wanted, a dirt nap. I begged her to kill me and the witch still told me to cling on to life, because 'new life in her culture is hard to come by' or some dumb shit like that." He said, anger building in his tone.

"What she said was true Arthur. Only one in one thousand births, or some number around there, is viable! The Krogan are a dying people. Maybe you could learn an example on why you should live from them."

Loosening the doctor's grip on him he carefully removed her, taking a seat on the stool next to him. The doctor walked back over to her other patient, examining everything from heartrate to body temperature. All Arthur did was think back, back to when he thought freedom had come.

(Months ago...)

"Ah stuff it ya damn Turian. Ain't nobody bold enough to talk up Ulran." The Batarian behind the bar laughed.

"Oh yeah? What about that jumpy Asari that came in last week, what was her name?"

"Dala or some a bit like that." A drunk Salarian replied from the other end of the bar.

"Thank you!" The Turian replied. "And she almost got her now didn't she?"

"Got her?" The Bartender laughed. "She ended up getting surgery for a bottle of Ryncol getring shoved so far up her ass she couldn't even touch it."

"Oh...I forgot that part." He replied.

"Yeah, supposedly killed her too." The Batarian replied.

Suddenly another patron's head perked up, one who had one too many and was thought to be done for the night.

"Hey, bartender?" He asked.

All four eyes glared at the man. "What human? Want another shot to knock you out for good? Shoot out your liver?"

"Ugh, fuck no. I just wanna know who's Ulran." He followed up with a belch.

"Heh, you really do want to end it don't you?" He said with a snicker, even glancing down at his Turian friend. "Tell you what, I'll lend you a hand. If you wanna know, she works at the strip club around the corner. Just ask for a 'Tuchanka tango' and they'll get you all sorted out."

"Uh, thanks." He replied, waving his omnitool over the terminal in front of him. "Keep the tip."

The Batarian looked in shock at the amount, baffled as to why anybody would be that generous. Meanwhile, the human moved as fast as he could in his state, popping a mint to try and take the rum smell out of him. Right around the corner, just as the bartender said was a sign with a half naked Asari waving at every passerby.

A human, much like him, stood outside in a full suit of armor, a shotgun on his back. He quickly adjusted his back and continued on past the guard, who only took a wandering glance. Inside the door the sound of pounding music resonated across the room. A desk with a bored looking Asari stood just before a curtain leading inside.

Not even looking up she spoke. "Welcome to Mera's Mirage where all your dreams are real. What can I do for you?"

Clearing his throat he replied. "I'm here for the Tuchanka Tango. A friend recommended it to me."

The Asari snorted. "Did your friend have an itchy quad or something? Listen kid, I wouldn't recommend something as hardcore as that on your first time here. How about some alone time with one of our other..."

"No, and here's why." He replied opening up his omnitool again. "How does two thousand credits sound?"

"Two thousand? You know the dance is only...shit whatever. Just know that if you need surgery or something like that you're on your own. She'll be waiting for you past the orange door straight across." She said as she pointed to the sign below the counter.

"That's fine with me." He replied, making his way past the thin barrier inside.

Lights shined throughout the huge room. In cages hanging above danced Asari, Turians, Salarian even. Most places like this only picked Asari for entertainment, but this place was run by somebody different. Mera, whoever she was, did not seem to be picky and neither did her patrons.

Walking over to an orange lit door he walked straight inside, sitting down as the lock turned red. The room was smaller than last, just enough for two people. Unlike so many other places he did not smell antiseptic or other kinds of cleaners. Either these people cared enough about cleaning up afterwards or he was walking into a germaphobes worst nightmare.

As he sat down on the larger than most bed he noticed a few wall panels pull aside to reveal a hidden door, with a brightly dressed Krogan behind it. Most of her face was hidden from sight, but he could see her eyes.

"Welcome to Mera's Mirage." She said, sauntering as best as a Krogan could over to her client. "We have multiple hours together I see. What do you desire?"

If it were any other situation he would laugh. She tried foreplay and sucked at it, then again he was not Krogan and most would probably get a kick out of it. Taking one big breath he tried to force the words out of his mouth and failed, so he tried something else.

"Are you Ulran?" He asked.

"I am. Now, what do you desire?"

His face twitched at her words. "What I want...I want you to do something similar to me as you did to Dala. I want to die."

"What?" The word escaped form her throat. "Oh no, Khorun most have told you the fairy tale of her demise. I will have to pay a visit to his bar sometime soon for this. But enough of that, you said you wanted to die."

"Did I stutter?" He replied, standing up with her, face to face. "I came here because I thought you could kill me and make it quick, but it seems I wasted my time."

Waving his omnitool towards the lock he aimed to see it turn green. The first try failed and so did the next, and the one after. He tried again and again, only for Ulran to stop him.

"Please, sit back down on the bed." She gently asked.

He sought a comment to come back with and quickly lost it. There was something about her he could not quite place, she disarmed him. As he sat back down she sat right next to him, still holding onto his hand.

"I've met many like you in years past. All were like me, afflicted, lost, Krogan. You see, my people were given a curse by the Turians and Salarians, a reason why I never choose to ever lay with one. I tried to satisfy my mate back on Tuchanka and watched time and time again as we lost children. He thought it was him who caused it and had surgery done..."

"And did it work?" The human interrupted. Now putting both hands on his she leaned on him.

"No, and he never forgave himself for it. He killed himself going off on some journey with others, seeking a remedy for what ails my people. I tried finding comfort in others, attempting to give offspring to any who would lay with me and nothing worked. I left Tuchanka, my home, to find somewhere my heart would not remember such aches. This is why I am here. Many Krogan come through this port and seek a rowdy female yes, but also hope."

"Hope? How can you provide hope for your people if there is no hope?" He asked.

"You cannot see with your eyes closed on the now human. I focused too much on the present myself, the turmoil of the moment and never looked on to the future. I look for a day when my people can be whole again and have families of their own. Where I no longer have to stay here, but go home and bear many young." She said, grinning widely.

"That's a nice dream you got there, but my problem isn't in the present, it's in the past." He replied.

Pushing him down on the bed she straddled his waist while looking straight into his eyes. "Forget about the past human. Focus on what lies ahead for you. The more you hold onto the past," She said as she unzipped his pants, grabbing onto something. "The more it holds onto you. Now..." she started as she threw her leggings to floor. "When you shed the past it is the most amazing sensation you will ever feel." She added, tossing the rest of her garb to the side.

"This is when you can truly live" she said as she lowered herself onto him. "Now human, you have over two hours left with me. Let's see just how strong your kind is compared to mine."

(Present day...)

He could still feel the pain from that night. Maybe if he were somebody that enjoyed pain he would've had much more fun. Instead he hobbled out of the club over to the closest pharmacy.

Everybody had their laugh and he left the small colony behind, the Krogan's word staying with him. Problem was letting go of the past was not as easy as she made it. At least She was fortunate enough to have that special somebody and settle down, he did not.

From across the room doctor Michel threw off his train of thought when he heard her talk to her other patient on the bed.

"I've never had a suit breach before." Tali said.

"That would explain your bodys' reaction to the breach. Tell me, are you on your pilgrimage?" She asked, causing the Quarian to gasp.

"How do you know about the pilgrimage?"

The doctor giggled, "I've treated a few other Quarians in my time, and I do like to hold a conversation."

"She's right." Arthur said from across the room. "After I got back from a job on Noveria, she couldn't stop talking."

"And I remember the occasion. You had an awful head concussion and I was making sure you could still remember who you were." She said with a frown.

"Speaking of which..." Tali Spoke up. "I never got your name."

Breathing in he tried to muster the courage to speak. "Ar...ahem, Arthur, my name is Arthur Quinn."

"Well thank you Arthur. Without you I would have died."

He tried to form a smile on his face, but the message he just received on his omnitool shifted his thoughts once more. Pressing one hand to his ear he turned as he called his employer, leaving Tali and Michel to talk among themselves.

"Ah Arthur is it? It's been almost seven hours without an update. How's the hunt coming along?" Fist asked.

"Um very well actually. I have the target with me right now."

On the other side of the conversation Fist typed commands into his desk terminal. A display of the Citadel showed a triangle forming around a chunk an arm, slowly shrinking in on a location.

"That's excellent news! Tell me, where are you now?"

"Sir, let me say it might not be the best time for that. We're not the only ones looking for her it seems."

Fist cursed silently as he looked up the holographic figure in front of him, impatiently tapping his talon on his arm. He knew who else would be after her right now and why, the question was did his employer?

"Then come back here with her as soon as possible. I can protect you and her." He replied.

Arthur raised a brow at the change in plans and made him question what he wanted. Beforehand she could die and now he was offering protection? Something did not add up between the two and more importantly why Fist suddenly needed to know his location. So he decided to gamble.

"I'm at Doctor Michel's clinic in the lower wards. Any help you can send would be great."

"Fantastic! I have men close by, they should be there soon." He replied cutting off the call.

"Who was that?" Dr. Michel asked.

"Get her and yourself to the back. Barricade yourselves in now." He commanded.

"What?! Arthur who was that and what is going on?" The Dr. Shot back.

"Doc, we have no time to argue. Get Tali in the back and barricade yourselves in."

Even with the fact she never got an answer she still listened to the mercenary, helping Tali to her feet. Reaching into his side he threw his hand cannon over to the doctor who caught it with her free hand, a worried look on her face.

Arthur whipped out the shotgun on his back and checked the gage for ammo. Seeing it was full he reached back and grabbed one of the beds, flipping it over to use as cover. Right as he got in position behind the table he heard voices from the other side of the door.

"Guess there's no rest for the weary." He said as the doors unlocked.


	3. Chapter 3: Friends in High Places

The lights went out as they finally got the door open. A hand briefly reached in to throw some small object right into the middle of the room Arthur knew what it was and activated the auditory inhibitors on his helmet.

First there came a bright light, which briefly illuminated the room. Then there came a series of pops as he heard through his helmet. Just as he assumed, they waited until their toy played its part and rushed right in. They had no idea what they were in for.

Coming to the fight with his own gadgets, Arthur aimed to try them out. He tossed the first defense out, a small disk with a magnifying lens on top. Small, compact, not as bulky as what the other guys were using, and more lethal it sent the attackers reeling. Then while they were stunned he hopped over his makeshift barricade and whipped out his shotgun.

Leveling it with years of precision he fired away. Blast one hit center mass on the first main in, throwing him back. The second blast hit the guy right next to him in the helmet, sending him crumpling to the ground. Right as he steadied his shot on the third they had already regained their composure and threw a biotic charge at him. Arthur took the attack and missed the attacker getting up after him.

Months had passed since he had been on his back like this, and not even with a Krogan on top. The other guy pulled out a knife, one not too uncommon with the average hitman for hire. First stab came down close to the Arthur's throat, he was going for the jugular. The second attack barely grazed the side of his helmet. All he could think the whole time was how sloppy he had gotten.

The third stab came down close to the neck again, but this time Arthur had a chance to counter. Grabbing both of his wrists he spread his attacker's arms out as wide as he could and threw him off to the side. Both rolled away from one another giving the opportunity to reevaluate.

"Nice skills, former alliance?" The merc asked.

"Maybe, then again why the fuck should you care, you're a dead man after all." Arthur replied.

The two lunged at each other, Arthur coming in with a hand behind his back. As they collided with one another the merc's knife drove home into Arthur's side. He laughed as blood came dripping down on the floor, his opponent forgetting about the human anatomy for one moment. Arthur shot his arm from around his back and right into the Merc's throat, causing him to let go of his target all together.

As he stumbled back Arthur followed him, slowly stepping towards him as his prey flailed about for air. Pulling the other knife out of his side he winced in pain for a moment and then lunged forward, plunging the knife through the guy's visor. Unlike the first knife, this one stopped him right in his tracks. Once vibrant with life, the mercenary dropped dead on the floor.

"Just to let you know, I learned how to fight like that from a Krogan. He had more balls then your men ever did." He said with a snicker.

Just as the words could escape his mouth he heard a groan from the doorway. Taking a step back he saw one of the mercs he had shot earlier, barely holding onto life. There was a long smear of blood coming up from where he hit the wall, and showed he only had so long before he joined the others.

"Can't believe I didn't kill you the first time. Shit, I must be getting sloppy."

Step by step he took his time walking over to the half-dead Salarian wheezing on the floor. He checked the gauge on his shotgun and smiled at the bar. Right in front of the dying man he took a knee so they were right at eye level.

"You know, not too many people survive a shotgun blast to the chest, especially at close range. You've gotta tell me where you get the armor from."

All the Salarian could do was stare at the skull on his mask and shake his head. Arthur never cared much about those he killed, he knew they had it coming to them. Now if they had the intention to kill him or someone else first, then it became his problem.

"If you can wheeze you can talk. I want a name, the one who sent you and the other two fuckheads that came charging in here."

Only after a few more breaths and an awful coughing spree with blood did he answer. "He worked for...for, Saren he told us. We were promised ...credits for the Quarian, and for you." He stopped as he went into another coughing fit.

Standing up he lifted one arm to open the hack tool on his omnitool and leveled the shotgun with the other. Another blast roared out of the barrel, painting the immediate area with Salarian. With a swipe of his now free hand he turned the lights back on, revealing more of the carnage.

Dr. Michel peeked her head out, nearly fainting at the sight before her. She was not afraid of blood herself, but she never liked the sight of pulverized gore. Tali followed close behind trying to hold in her breakfast as she walked past the knife-riddled corpse of a human.

"Well, I hope you have intentions on cleaning this up, because I know I can't." Dr. Michel said, poking at Arthur's chest like a dagger.

"Yeah, yeah, say doc, do you know anything about a guy named Sa..."

"My God Arthur you're hurt!" She yelled.

"It's nothing, just a flesh wound." He replied, holding onto the spot.

"No, you, you, ugh...sit down on the table over here. I'm going to stitch you up." She shot back with authority.

"Ok mom, but don't I have to strip for that?" He asked, looking at Tali who immediately turned away.

"No I just need you to take off your chest plate. If she feels uncomfortable then she can stay in the lobby."

Arthur snorted, "Doc I don't think she'll be any more comfortable with the dead over there. After all, I painted one of your walls in a nice shade of green."

Doing as the doctor ordered he released the clasps on the chest piece, dropping it to the ground. Underneath it all he had a mesh top and bottom, both helped with temperature control but did little to stop sharp objects. Leaning back on the table he hopped on and pulled the mesh top over where the wound was.

As she checked the wound Arthur watched as Tali cycled through her omnitool, maybe looking for something to comfort her. While flipping through the files he read the words from where they were in reverse, raising a brow at the one she stopped at.

"Does that say Saren on there?" He asked.

Looking up from her work she tried to hide her arm. "Maybe. Why do you ask?"

Reaching up to take off his helmet with his free hand he sat the armor behind him and ran his hand through silvery mane he kept.

"The Salarian in the corner over there mentioned him before he died. Does the name ring any bells?"

She paused before giving an answer, wringing her hands together as the thought ran through her head.

"When I first started my pilgrimage our ship came across a small Geth presence near Illium. We were able to clear them out, but I found a rare treasure. The Geth on deactivating burn away their memory cores so no one else can get ahold of their technology or find out how it works. I found one memory core which had not been burned yet and decrypted everything I could on it, including a message between a Spectre and someone else."

Arthur's eyes closed as he tried to concentrate, a slight twitch visible for everybody to see. He usually did not like to jump to conclusions, but after weighing all the evidence he had, jumping was the only logical choice.

"You know, I was hired by somebody to look for you. Name was Fist, and the guy seemed like an asshole, OW!" He yelled as the doctor stuck him with a needle. "Shi...ok, he worked for a spectre who said he didn't want to get his hands dirty and from the sounds of it he wanted you out of the picture."

Tali backed up against the wall, looking on in confusion now at the man on the table. "So you're saying you were sent to kill me?"

He winced at the word and ground his teeth at the thought. Never once did he think about killing her, only about turning her over to Fist. Now she thought he was ready to put a knife to her throat this whole time and he hated that.

"Look, I was sent out to k-k-kill you but I chose not to ok? Apparently Fist had no intention of paying me and he wants us both dead too. Great, this was supposed to be my last job and everything's gone to hell." He said, staring down at the floor now.

"All done." Doctor Michel said, patting Arthur on the back.

"You know, I still do have a meeting arranged with the Shadow Broker scheduled tomorrow." Tali informed the group.

Arthur shook his head and laughed. "You're going to meet with THE Shadow Broker tomorrow?"

Tali nodded, "Yes, I mean, maybe not the actual broker. I know he uses agents to contact potential sellers, but I was able to arrange for a meeting here on the Citadel."

Looking between the two Tali could see looks of confusion and doubt which only made the Quarian mad. "It's true! I can give you the meeting place, the time..."

"None of us think you are lying, we just don't know if it's a good idea." The doctor replied.

"I can't disagree with the doc." Arthur shrugged. "You just had three attempts on your life in one day and who knows if the guy you came in contact with wasn't one of them. It'd be better to find some place to lay low for a while and I don't mean here."

"Then where would we go? Where is there somewhere safe enough to hide from the resources of a Spectre?" Tali asked, frustration in her voice.

Hundreds of ideas poured through everyone's head except for Arthur, he already had one person in mind. She probably would not be happy to hear from him, but to him there was only one choice. Frantically his fingers moved across the touchpad screen, sending as many nice words as he could with each text, no response yet.

" _Shit, I hope she isn't pissed_." He thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Fist was getting nervous. Nobody sent a response to his messages, leading him to believe they never walked out of the clinic. In his head, everything about the task was supposed to be simple.

"Damn it!" He yelled aloud, causing one of his guards to jump. "One simple task, one! How hard is is to kill a jumpy merc and a Quarian?!"

"Very apparently." Said a voice from above.

Shaking his head in defeat he knew who it was. Every single time he failed to do something right, there was always someone there. Against his own wants he turned on the projector and stared down his employer and now his judge.

"So it seems the great equalizer has come into play." Saren said with a snicker.

"And what would that be?"

The smug spectre could only grin as wide as his mandibles would allow. "Your ability to recruit talent is your undoing. The mercenary you hired to locate and kill the girl is more trouble than you thought. He's putting up more of a challenge than the one sent by the broker to kill you."

For a moment Fist showed some fear, since he had educated himself on the Krogan. Just thinking about how Saren was always one step ahead gave him a slight sense of comfort. How quickly the sense was shattered though when thinking about the what if's such as what if Arthur found out about Saren. The thought quickly festered in the back of his mind.

"I see you're thinking about it, about everything. I know it's all a challenge, but let me put it this way. Arthur Quinn will fall, just like Urdnot Wrex. Just uh, step out of my way and let my men handle this. All future matters would be better handled that way."

As soon as he let the last word slip out of his mouth Fist aimed to turn off the projector but was stopped short as a solitary talon pointed towards the air. An Asari appeared off from the side, whispering something in his ear.

"Ah yes, time has come to forward my plans. Now, up until this point you've been a wonderful help with everything. In your head you probably think I'm about to simply say 'we're done' or 'my men are coming for you' but no, I'm not stupid. I've decided to remove my hand in your protection. Where I'm going and what I'm about to do no longer involves you. So good bye Fist, I would say I know how you're going to die, then again I don't know who is going to kill you first."

Without Fist even moving the projector deactivated by itself and he sat there for quite some time. Minutes passed by and Fist called his guards into the room. Saren thought he was the only one with a plan of action, but his former puppet had a few surprises in store for his former employer.

Back in the clinic a crew of Asari had arrived in hazmat suits. Only an hour after his message did help finally arrive, and they were none too happy to receive it. They had no hatred for Arthur, none of his friends did. What she did have however was a bottle of emotions, all of which came out when she stepped through the door.

"You selfish son of a..." she started as Dr. Michel tried to stopp her mid sentence. "Oh well Doctor I'm going to say it, son of a bitch!" She yelled, slapping him across the face as many times as she wanted. Arthur took every hit too, he knew he had it coming.

"I'm sor..." before he could finish his sentence she slapped him again with some biotic force behind the last one, sending him a step back.

"You know I mourned for you and Kinja." She said fighting back tears. "Me and Galu thought your were dead. There was a small service and everything. Damn it you made me drink! Not saying I've never done anything like that in my life but I've never been so sloshed in all my life."

The words caused Arthur to chuckle for a moment, and only a moment. She came in for another slap only to start bursting into tears and wrap her arms around him. He was not sure what to do at first, maybe thought it was a trap until she tightened her grip.

"I-I...Viza I'm sorry ok...about everything. After Kin..."he started as his fists trembled. Closing his eyes he tried to refocus, maybe make it stop. Viza took a step away from him, eyes wider than he had ever seen.

"Doctor what's going on?" Viza asked.

The doctor shook her head, grasping one of his hands and forcing it open, putting her palm in his. Breathing as he was the trembling slowly started going down. His eyes opened, water slowly building up underneath each.

"He has one of the worst cases of post traumatic stress disorder I have ever seen, and if he would only take his pills..."

"Little shits." He replied, getting a punch from his physician.

Viza sighed, burying her face in the palm of her hand. As she stood there one of the Asari in a suit tapped her shoulder. Taking a moment to listen in she leaned over to her employee and nodded as she spoke.

"So we got everything cleaned up. No muss, no fuss, and more importantly no C-Sec. The less the law gets involved the better, don't you agree Doctor?"

"Somewhat." She replied.

"Somewhat?" Viza retorted, disgusted by her response. "Your clinic would be shut down until the investigation was over. As a doctor this would definitely put a stain on your reputation having your clinic shutdown because of a showdown." She finished, staring at Arthur.

"Whatever. What's done is done and we need to get somewhere safe. Please Viza, tell me you have somewhere safe." Arthur begged. Viza held her chin, striking a pose, as she pondered the request. She had contacts but this time they could not be trusted as long as Fist was involved.

"Ok...ok, I have an apartment complex you can stay in. I'll even let you have the penthouse suite this time. You should be safe behind the shielded windows I had installed."

"Shielded windows for an apartment? I've never heard of such a thing." Tali said, very intrigued at the thought.

"Well they do come in handy for many reasons. One, they shield against attackers. Two, they cost less than getting top of the line security glass windows believe it or not. Three, well, let's just say these windows can adjust tint for privacy for all your more carnal needs...not that you're going to need that feature." She stopped with a sheepish grin as Arthur facepalmed.

"And here I thought I was the only one who was fucked up." Arthur laughed as Doctor Michel punched him

"Fine, fine, just know that we had technicians come by the other day to repair the shade function. There's a skycar waiting for you two outside."

Without a second thought Arthur grabbed Tali's hand and walked her outside, checking both ways before heading out the door. Back inside Viza was writing up a report when Dr. Michel handed her a bottle of pills. The Asari looked confused until she whispered in her ear.

Unlike most skycars, this one was fitted for luxury and more importantly space for many people. Tali hopped in first, taking in the extravagant interior design and how it all worked. Arthur followed in close behind as well as Viza who scrambled to catch up with the three in heels.

Right after the door closed she tossed the shoes to the side, sighing at the freedom she was experiencing. While Tali was still looking through all of the features inside the skycar Arthur did not pass up the opportunity to catch up.

"So...you actually did buy out that complex." Arthur awkwardly stared.

Viza laid back her head and sighed, "Finally did. I told you it would happen and you told me 'you're a big girl meant to do big girl things, so be a big girl'" she said, making the dumbest sounding macho voice she could.

Tali laughed at her hero's expense as he scoffed, "Not even close. What I did say was 'be careful about putting all of your money on this apartment complex, but hey it's your money'. She always likes to blow things out of proportion like so many other things, now isn't that right Vira?"

From the other side of the skycar everybody could see the blush on her face. While the Quarian stayed in the dark, Arthur knew exactly what he was talking about. Just as they did before he disappeared, he pushed a few more buttons.

"Vira Viza, not her true name but one she picked up from being Fornax's hottest girl in the galaxy for so many years."

"You never let that go do you?" She asked, smiling as she went a darker shade of red. "Never mind...yeah it's true. Let me give you a tip, uh Tali is it?"

The Quarian nodded, not even thinking of a better response. "Never, ever take for granted the body you have. You see, I only got the title I did by banging all the judges."

"Oh." She replied, blushing underneath her mask.

"Oh I wasn't finished little girl, all at the same time. Some guys are sick out there, real sick, but not all of them. Especially the one sitting right next to you. You are blessed by the goddess to be placed in his care. Without him jumping into my life I would have been stuck in some dumpster somewhere, dead."

"Ahem, if I may..." Tali interjected. "Just how did you two meet?"

Before he could think of the answer she had on her mind he lifted his helmet over his head and snapped it into place. The amount of red on his face right then and there could have made Tali jump to conclusions, then again so would Viza's version of their first meeting. Reaching into the armrest at her side she pulled out a glass for her as well as some wine and started pouring the drink as the right words came to mind.

(Years ago...)

"And cut! Amazing work Viza, you too Fexus." The Director exclaimed, rubbing his hands together.

Fexus could no more wipe the smile off his face than the pleasure he just felt with the most beautiful woman in the galaxy. Viza on the other hand felt it was time to go back stage and do her regular ritual. Slipping her thong back on she made her way to her room.

Just like every other time she felt the stares at her, all the added cast, the camera people, the other women. Some were stares of intimidation, others were looking her up and down just like the men behind the camera, as a piece of meat. She hated the feeling, dreaded it, but the credits were steady and could care less. At least she was a fraction of step closer to her dreams.

No sooner did the door close than her barriers go down, the facade. As always she locked the door, finding new ways to stop the staff from getting in. Tears came running down her face, as she looked all around her. Framed on the wall was cover after cover of her, smiling. The first few were real and at one point in time she had convinced herself they were real. Now they made her angry, frustrated, enraged.

Using her biotics she focused fields around the frames and lifted them off the wall one by one, shoving each into a box by the closet. Just as the last one was set down she heard a knock at the door. Working as fast as she could she wiped away the eyeliner running lines down her face and stood up to see who it was. Before she could even open the camera app on her omnitool the door opened to reveal Fexus and a few others.

"Fexus? What are you doing back here?"

"Ah just visiting you know. Wanted to get a follow up on our performance." He finished, licking his mandibles.

Words had trouble escaping her mouth. All she could think of was why Fexus was here and more importantly why he needed the extra muscle. Thoughts ran through her mind, some good, some of the worst results possible.

"I guess it was great for both of us." She shyly replied.

"For the both of us?" Fexus laughed. "Baby, you got to have all the fun with all my tongue work. All I got was a little splash on the groin plates to tell me I just had sex with Vira Viza, goddess of the camera. Speaking of which." He snapped and his men went to work.

One of the men behind him went outside and shut the door, locking it behind him. Viza, preparing for the worst, tried to form a biotic field around the door and failed. Usually she was able to control her biotics with ease, but something seemed to be stopping her.

"Ha! Look at you trying to be so bold, please. I put that choker on you earlier for a reason. It has biotic dampeners, it gives me control. Now, let's have some real fun."

Pinning her arms behind her back, Fexus slammed her face against the table, almost breaking her nose. Viza tried screaming as loud as she could but the collar began to tighten around her neck. Both Fexus and the one behind the camera laughed.

"The more nosies you make that I don't like, the worse it gets for you, and just so you know, I can tell when you're faking it. So don't, fucking, fake it."

Viza trembled in terror as Fexus ran his talons up and down her back, digging his talon into her skin everybody few inches or so. Then as he made it to her waist he grabbed onto the thong and pulled as tight as possible, ripping the fabric off of her.

The camera zoomed in as Fexus unzipped his pants, the cameraman choosing to do the same. Tears fell down to the vanity below her as she felt him forcing his way in. She held back the cries of agony, knowing they would only hinder her and maybe give him some sort of kick out of it. Not that he was not already getting anything from it to start with. What started out as a few mild thrusts ramped up to painfully slapping himself against her backside, echoing the contact against the walls.

"Yeah, yeah!" He hollered as he slapped her ass. "Are you getting this Raejex? Oh shit man, I didn't even realize you wanted some. Come on over and fill in a spot." Grabbing her by the cheeks he cupped her face, forcing her mouth open.

"Come on now Viza, we both know you've been spitroasted before. So open the fuck up!"

Right as Raejex took his first step forward the door suddenly opened. Spinning around to see who it was he was punched as hard as possible right in the face, causing him to fall down to the ground. Fexus let go of Viza's face for a moment long enough to pull the knife out of his pants on the floor.

"All right asshole, you have all of three sec..."

 **CRUNCH!**

The sound echoed around the room as the intruder's fist collided with Fexus's left mandible, causing it to snap. As the Turian reeled on the floor in pain, Viza grabbed the robe off her chair, covering her lower half. She sat and watched as he pummeled the Turian into a bloody pulp on the floor. At first she cowered underneath the robe, then with each following blow she focused more and more on his movements, his intensity, revenge. He did more than just punch him to ground, also giving Raejex the same treatment.

Never did she notice when he stopped. All she knew was one moment he was there, the next the authorities were asking her questions as to when Fexus came in the room, what reason did he give. The only question on her mind then was who saved her life?

Days after the incident, after she had left her therapy group, a man in a very familiar looking jacket walked up to her and invited her out for lunch. They both sat down, at first making small talk, then came the hard questions.

"Who are you, and...why you could have just walked on?" She asked, tears in her eyes.

"To answer your first question, I'm just a guy named Arthur. As for the second question, I was actually tailing Fexus for your own sake. The director pulled me away because he thought I was being too paranoid, that Fexus was just going back to his dressing room. Of course when he was out of earshot I called bullshit. You know that Fexus had previous accusations of sexual assault in the past?"

The revelation shocked the woman, rocked her world to be more precise. "You're telling me he let him on payroll, knowing what he was capable of?" She said choking up.

"Unfortunately, Yes."

"Does the police know about this?"

Placing his hand on hers he smiled as he pointed at her arm. "Did you check your messages today?"

Looking down at her arm and back to him she opened up her omnitool seeing a slew of messages fill up the screen. Weeks had gone by since everything happened and all she had done was shut herself up in her apartment. All she could think of as she curled up either on the bed or on the couch was the shock of it all, nothing else.

Scrolling down she eventually stumbled upon a message from an Arthur Quinn, security director. Word for word she went through the entire read and as she went down the page she grabbed onto his hand, almost squeezing as she read the report.

"I-I-I don't know how to thank..."

"There's no reason to, not now, not ever. All I did was my job. Now all I ask for you to do is one thing, not for me but for you."

As she shut off her omnitool she asked, "And what would that be?"

"The studio is shutting down because of what happened to you. I understand you don't have a job right now and you're just living off your savings, which won't last forever, trust me. So I decided to talk to a friend of mine who owns a small chain of apartment complexes and needs an assistant manager to take up the role."

"Really?" She asked, squeaking with excitement.

"Absolutely. He will help train you and pay you while you go through the process and also, keep going to the therapy group. Trust me when I say that making new friends can be a great vehicle to healing."

Wiping the tears from her eyes she looked up at the one who showed her compassion whereas she felt she could find none. "You sound like you're talking from experience. Care to tell?"

Briefly looking at the time on his omnitool he nodded. "Since I don't have a job myself right now I guess I have all the time in the galaxy. Ok, so about one year ago I finished my last tour in the alliance navy..."

(Present day...)

Tali could not believe the story she told or how she could even talk about it with a complete stranger of all people. What baffled her more was why the man snoring in the seat next to her never talked about his problems so openly. Then again, he had a mental disease and Viza did not appear to suffer from anything of the such.

"That's powerful, but how are you even able to talk about such things?" Tali asked, looking back and forth between the Asari and the snoozing merc beside her.

Staring at the ceiling she thought about it, eventually coming up with the words. "You know I think it was something the leader of my therapy group told me, 'The one who attacked you only has as much power as you give them' and I took that to heart. It took me a while to trust anybody again, even with the great life advice. I even mistrusted my manager which led to some nasty disputes, but at the end of the day I could see things clearer than I ever could."

"Wow, I wish I had that kind of help." Tali replied.

Viza giggled at the Quarian as she pointed to the man next to her. "Well part of the reason is right next to you. I didn't tell you we dated for a while."

"Oh." She replied, staring at the bobbling head of Arthur. "Well, that sounds very different from this man right here. Arthur panics constantly, breaks out into sweats even."

Suddenly the mood grew more solemn as Viza gazed more intensely at the pill bottle in her hand. "We're almost at the apartment. When we get there I want you to drop one of these in his food, well, after you get set up in your new living space of course." She said, tossing the small bottle over to Tali, only for a hand to stop it midway.

"Both of you talk so loud." He said, startling the others. "If there was a bug in this car they wouldn't have to turn up the sensitivity to hear. All they would need to do was turn up the volume. Now my guess is the good doctor gave you this to help me right?"

Viza shook her head, frustrated now. "Yes Arthur because you need help! What happened with Kinja was awful, but..."

"But what?" He said as the hand with the bottle began to tremble.

"But it shouldn't own you like it does. You even told me..." she stopped as he chucked the pill bottle at her head.

"You weren't there you didn't see what Al-Saddir did to us!" Shot back taking his helmet off now to look her in the eyes.

"How though? The reports said the core detonated with him board the station. He should have been dead by all accounts."

"Hmph." He replied. "You seem to underestimate the man, because I can tell you he was very alive when he caught up to us."

Just outside the vehicle a massive building complex flooded their view. As soon as the ground came close enough Arthur stepped out, mad as hell while Viza tried to keep her cool. She made sure to stay close enough to Tali and out of someone else's earshot.

"Please give him these, be as stealthy as you can be." She said handing her the bottle. "You're very right in saying he's a different man. He would never have thrown anything at me in the past, nonetheless act like he does."

"Let me ask, how was Arthur back then, when you were dating I mean. I do not mean to pry..." Tali started as she put the bottle away.

"No it's fine. He was...everything really. No other man or woman I met before him had the heart he did. For quite a while he helped out with charity construction projects around the Citadel. Not everybody here has a solid bank account and he wanted to pictch in. You know that's why I bought out so many apartment complexes right?"

"From what you said earlier I only guessed so. To take on such an effort is very noble of you."

"Thank you." She replied. "With all of the income we generated over the years I was able to support those who came to our doorstep needing a place to call home. I even developed a rehabilitation program for those trying to get their life back together just like I did. People deserve a second chance, even Arthur."

As the entered through the door and into a massive lobby. Passing by the reception desk the four receptionists standing by all have their greetings to Viza who only smiled and waved back. "So, what made Arthur the way he is? Do you know?" Tali asked, snapping Viza's attention back to their conversation.

Viza remained silent as they got closer to the elevator where Arthur himself was waiting, arms crossed. Both got in as the Asari punched in a six digit code into the interface, sending them soaring upwards. The open glass all around them showed the sights of each floor, showing the communities inside.

All of it reminded Tali of home, not as closed up, but still. Between some of the floors you could see through the gaps as skycars rushed by. Not before long they started to slow down as they neared the top floor, the elevator's VI letting them know they reached the presidential suite.

Doors opened and the first one out was Arthur. Tali followed and was quickly pulled back by Viza. She was not sure why until Viza pulled her close into a hug, whispering into the audio receptors in her suit.

"Please talk to him, and don't forget the pills otherwise this might not work. Ever since he joined up with his team of misfits he's been a different man. He really went off the rails when he met a girl named Kinja'reet, you might know her."

Tali's eyes lit up as the name ran through her head. "Yes, yes I do. She was one of the first people I had ever heard were banished from the fleet. She was scrubbed from her ship's log books for trying to make peace with the Geth."

"Exactly the information Galu sent me...I don't know what he saw in the woman but she was also an assassin for hire when she arrived here. She went through Galu for help with contracts and that's where she met him. This was before we broke up."

"So...he cheated on you?" She said, surprised.

"No, no, no, otherwise he wouldn't have contacted me. Her cause was what pulled him away from me, from here where he was helping people the most instead of going back to the killing fields. She pulled him back into a lifestyle he tried to get away from. Now he's like this. I can't be mad at him, only sorry I wasn't there when Kinja died."backing away she wiped a tear from her eye, and walked on back to the elevator.

Before she left she mouthed something indiscernible to Arthur but Tali got the message. They both went inside the massive suite, looking around at their new surroundings with awe.

"Nice digs." Arthur said throwing off his helmet. "Viza knows how to welcome friends."

Tali stopped as he started unclamping armor piece after armor piece, just stopping before he got to the groinplate and below. He snickered as she covered her mask, thinking he had nothing beneath. Of course he knew there was the thermal mesh underneath, and then nothing.

"It's ok, I'm not naked underneath, sheesh. There's a mesh layer and then we get to my birthday suit." He said with a laugh.

She barely peeked between her fingers to see if he was joking and breathed a sigh of relief as he hopped over the couch. All she could think of how different he sounded from Viza's accounts. The man she knew in front of her was not the man he was. Time changes people for sure, but what could cause such a violent shift in him? The proper question, one she would need to pry, was who.


	4. Chapter 4: The Long Goodbye

The layout before them was extraordinary, then again they got to choose what they wanted. Tali unfortunately was stuck with nutrient paste, but at least the tubes came in different flavors. She would have ordered anything else on the menu but the room would not be properly sealed with Arthur there. As instructed she waited for Arthur to turn his back before she grabbed a capsule in hand and shoved it into the meal he ordered.

Part of her conscience felt guilty about drugging him, then again, the smile on Viza's face as she came back up was reassuring. She sauntered into the room with a flashy but classy purple dress which matched the tattoo imprinted on her spine. Following her was a small contingent of caterers in finely bleached attire, all running around to set up the table around them.

Arthur just laid back on the couch as they ran about, not even noticing the effort being put on by their gracious host or the Volus who just came up the elevator. Waddling down the hall past the waiters and waitresses with empty carts rushing in and out of the elevator. He waved at Viza as she stopped him in the hallway.

"I was under the impression we wouldn't host a party until our mutual friend was healed." Galu stated, curious in his manner of speaking.

"Don't consider this as a party Galu, think of it as a...welcoming home meal."

"Viza I can tell when you're nervous. You always bite your bottom lip when you're up to something. Tell me, what are you up to now?" He replied, rubbing at what anybody could assume was the chin if Volus even had one.

"Fine." She sighed. "I'm trying to sneak the medicine Doctor Michel have him into his food and he doesn't suspect it yet."

"Yet." Galu shot back. "You know how angry he's going to be when he finds out you're drugging him."

"If Galu, if. You have to be a little more positive about matters like this." She replied, trying to put on a smile.

"We both know I'm a realist. Arthur has his special ops training along with who knows what else those misfits taught him. Once he sniffs out whatever you decided to give him...who knows what he's going to do."

"G-Galu!" She exclaimed. "I know Arthur and..."

"No Viza, not anymore. You weren't there when he threatened me for information on the Quarian sitting over there." He pointed as Tali sat down at the table. "I could hear it in his voice. If he had been pushed any further, you would have been hearing it on the news."

Looking over at the sleeping figure on the couch she could barely imagine what Galu was describing. All she could think of was the gentle giant who showed her and others like her compassion. Times like these made her remember the past.

(Years ago...)

"What do you think?" She said, proudly displaying the new logo.

"The first impression I get is calm, peaceful, welcoming when I look at it. You've outdone yourself this time beautiful." He replied, laying a kiss on her lips.

The blush in her face almost matched the color of the new logo she designed. It had been nearly a year since she started in the real estate business and the new concept for an apartment complex was soon to become more than a blueprint. Crews worked tirelessly across the way, laying down the foundation for the future.

"Well with the support flooding in thanks to your charm, people in need will have a home. I've already gotten in contact with eight career counselors in the past week."

"And?" He asked the anticipation could be heard.

Wrapping her arms around his head she kissed him back and gave him the answer. He lifted her off the ground the two could not be any more happy about the news. A housing project built to help out the poor and get them back up on their feet was no small task, but with the hearts of those two, nothing seemed impossible.

(Present day...)

She longed to see those days again. Not having him by her side, not being there when she would open her first apartment complex off the Citadel hurt. With every effort she tried to keep the facade going that everything was ok as she took in small bites.

Every now and then she wondered when Arthur would notice, if the medicine would actually help. Maybe she might get the man back she had once lost. All those thoughts and more ran through her head as she exchanged glances with the other two guests at the table.

"I do say, this is probably the best meal I've had in months." Arthur proclaimed from across the table. "You can't always find something wholesome when you're always on the go."

His comments made Viza shift in her seat. Galu noticed the change and cleared his throat as he looked over at Tali. Unlike the others, she was trying to keep to herself behind the mask she had to wear. She was trying her best to keep Arthur in the dark, removing any suspicion otherwise he would get some kind of idea of what was going on.

"So Arthur, what's the plan now we know your employer is not so honest?" Galu started.

As he laid down his utensils, he took a swig of the water sitting in front of him. "Well...I haven't really thought that far. Maybe the broker will give Tali a generous amount for the information she has. I mean, how often is it you come by that information?" He replied without a single twitch or off the wall reaction. Not once did he even notice.

"You would be surprised how much information there is out there on people. Take Fist for instance..." he started, clearly catching Arthur's attention. "Did you know he worked for the broker before Saren?"

"No...seems I did a great job background checking the guy. I just thought he was some underworld boss who could give me my final paycheck. Sorry by the way Tali." He said blinking his eyes as if he could not believe what he just said or something else. "Um, so do you think the broker is going to follow through?"

"I believe so. Nobody would pass up having dirt on a council Spectre, especially somebody with the reputation Saren has." Galu replied.

Everybody hid the shock from their face, the medicine was working. Viza tried to stop the tears forming in her eyes from across the table while Tali herself could not believe the change in tone she heard. Galu grinned underneath his mask, there was the man they recognized. Right as everything seemed to be going uphill they noticed Arthur breaking out in a sweat.

"Yeah uh, I'll be right back in a moment." He said as he walked over to the bathroom

All were amazed at the sudden shift in his behavior. At first he seemed calm and collected and now he had the look of a panic attack all over him. Right before he could even reach the doorway...he collapsed.

"Arthur!" Viza yelled as she ran over to his side.

Galu and Tali were close behind her, each picking a side to stand by. Arthur's breath was shallow, hitching almost every time he tried to take a breath. Galu was the first to open his omnitool calling Doctor Michel as soon as her name came up.

"Hello, hello, Galu? My it has been some time..."

"Doctor Michel, did you give any medication to Viza before she left your clinic?" There was a pause on the other side of the line. "Michel, he's on the floor right now struggling to breathe. What did you give him?"

"Just what I prescribed him when he first came to me for help. The drug was meant to calm him down as well as deal with the disorder in his nerves he had healed after he left the alliance...oh God, how much did you give him!?"

Viza and Galu looked over at Tali who was wringing her hands. "I-I-I may have put in a full capsule don't you regularly use one pill to..."

"Are you trying to kill him!" Doctor Michel yelled over the line. "He needs to flush it out of his system right now! Fortunately I put another series of capsules in the bottle. There are some inside with green and yellow colors on it. I added those just in case he somehow overdosed."

Emptying out the contents into her hand, Viza found one of the pills and handed it to Tali. She put both hands underneath him, one under his head and back to sit him up. As soon as Viza wrapper her hand around his jaw to force it open Tali popped the pill in. The knowledgeable Asari did the rest of the work, helping him swallow it down.

"Let's just say you pick up a few tricks when you work with the forgotten of the Citadel." She said as a hand touched her cheek.

The feeling caught her off guard as Arthur felt the contours of her face, smiling as he looked her in the eyes. "I...so...sorry."

"It's ok Arthur. Let's you get you in the master bedroom to shake this off."

Omnitool off Galu helped Viza and Tali heft the man off the floor and down the hall. Galu stepped off halfway down when Arthur started picking up his feet and Tali followed suit, leaving Viza and Arthur alone. Closing the door behind her she locked it, walking him over to the finely laid out bed before them.

She tried to lay him out as gently as she could but, his frame dragged her down with him. Part of her knew it was intentional, was what she wanted and embraced it. He just lay there steadily breathing now instead of the insanity from earlier. There she lay with him, kicking off her heels as she clung to her love.

Last time her heart felt like it did then was when he was last there with her, it was the night before he left off to go on some crazy mission. The night was incredible, intense, and more importantly intentional. Before he got too involved with everything she intended on giving him a reason to come back home, even messaged her.

When she discovered he had supposedly died her heart broke a second time. The other came from the child they were going to have, his other reason to come back home. She was on the verge of throwing herself away when she lost both.

Friends were needed in those times. Galu and Doctor Michel definitely helped in the long run and now she thought about it, they kept telling her to have hope. The two of them probably knew he was alive the whole time, they just did not want her to reject the man she would find.

Who she found in Michel's office earlier, during the ride there, was not him. The man she was holding onto for now, for then was. With closed eyes she listened in to the breaths escaping and going in, all white noise to help her sleep.

Outside Galu and Tali started cleaning the table. Plates clinking together sent in a flurry of people in white suits who ran circles around them picking up the waste and plates. Some were fast enough to swipe the dishes from them and bolt outside, the last one grabbing the tablecloth on their way out.

"Well, I can say Viza admires efficiency. " Galu chuckled.

"True." Tali replied.

Galu looked around the room, typing in a few commands into his omnitool before he walked off towards the door. "I'm sorry but I must go. I have an order to fulfill and it seems everyone else is retiring for the night...uh, Tali is it?"

Immediately the Quarian perked up, lost in her train of thought before. "Yes, yes it is."

"Don't beat yourself up too hard about Arthur, he's a tough one. Healing him is going to take a long while, extensive time and effort, but it will all be worth it in the end. I know some way somehow, he will work hard to make sure he gets that happy ending he always talked to us about. Goodnight." He said as he went out.

Now all was left was Tali, a couch, and something odd shimmering off of Arthur's armor. Reaching down to the side where he had been stabbed earlier she pulled out a small object with a blinking red light on top. She scanned the small device extracting whatever she could from it and filtered through the data.

Tali was no expert on armors, but she knew Doctor Michel never did put anything near the stab wound other than Medigel. Running an X-ray scan of the insides caused the small trinket to pop, fizz,and spark until it shattered in her hand causing her to jump back.

"Keelah! What is this?" She said, reaching for a small chip on the ground. "This technology is military grade, but I can't quite place the source."

Using the microscopic scanner on her omnitool she zoomed in on the back of the chip. Eventually the zoom reached a point where she could just make out a small logo. Quickly swiping the scanner way she opened up a search bar looking up the source of the chip. Low and behold she found a match, one which sent a chill down her spine.

"This device...we've been tracked this whole time?" She said as the lights went out.

Light from the Citadel outside came in, showing about eight figures stuck to the massive windows behind her. Tali panicked, grabbing Arthur's shotgun while running for the island in the kitchen. Glass shattered as the attackers came flooding in, firing everywhere.

Down the hall Arthur shot up from where he was on the bed causing Viza to jump. Sliding off the bed he reached into his boot and pulled out a weapon with a long barrel. Viza reached for the dress she tossed off before she fell asleep and tried to get Arthur's attention.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" She frantically asked.

"I heard windows shatter in the living room. Something tells me Tali isn't the cause of..."

 **CRASH!**

The window to their right shattered everywhere, some shards finding their final resting place in Viza's arm. Two Asari rappelled into the room, guns at the ready. Steadying the small cannon in his grip he fired the first shot into the one on the left and turned to shoot on the other on the right.

Before a shot could escape the barrel a biotic blast threw the attacker out, plummeting to her death. Arthur holstered his sidearm, reaching for the first aid kit on his hip and forgot where it was. Holding her arm out flat against the bed he pulled out each shard as fast as he could, causing her to shout in pain with each one.

Against the intentions of the interior decorator, he ripped apart the sheets, wrapping her arms in the expensive linens. Unholstering his weapon again he grabbed a strip of sheet before wrapping it around his hand. Then without a second thought he picked up a shard of glass off the floor and held it up like a combat knife.

"Stay down and stay here. I'm going to get to the bottom of this." He said as he unlocked the door.

Right as it slid open, there stood an Asari command with her back turned to him. Raising the glass he buried the makeshift blade in the back of her skull, ripping it out to stab again at the throat this time. The Asari collapsed to the floor, dropping her rifle to the ground.

Gunshots echoed down the hall as shots flew from the kitchen and the living room area. Arthur watched as both sides took turns firing at each other. Aiming the sights of his gun on the first two commandos in cover he took the shots.

They never saw the shots coming, but the next two moved their cover around. Shots flew towards him as he ran for cover behind the kitchen island where Tali was. Every now and then he saw her point the shotgun out of cover and take a blind shot, maybe hoping to land a hit.

"You fire like shit." Arthur joked.

"I don't want to hear anything you bosh'tet! They caught me by surprise!"

"Excuses, excuses." He shot back. "Now how do you think we handle the next bunch?"

"I don't know, you tell me!" She shouted back.

Suddenly the room grew quiet. The sound of gunfire stopped but they could hear a loud groaning coming from the other side. Arthur was the first to peek over the counter and see Viza in a torn dress, holding most of the attackers up with biotic fields.

"What the fuck are you doing? I told you to stay back!" He yelled.

"Stay back and let you die? I don't think so..." she stopped midsentence, leaning forward.

"Viza..." Arthur started, running over to her.

As he ran he noticed a trail of blood coming from her stomach. Throwing her hands forward she tossed the commandos out the windows, leaning on one arm as she did so. Then from somewhere off in the distance another shot came flying in, his omnitool started sounding off.

Viza's head jerked back, a fountain of blood coming from the impact in her chest this time. Quickly grabbing the falling Asari he grabbed her under the armpits and dragged her back behind the island. He handed her off to Tali, bolting out from behind cover to take a shot in the distance.

Impacts hit the ground all around him and he still took a few shots out the window, he was throwing the shooter off. Then while focusing in on a billboard across the way he noticed a silhouette. Holding his breath he aimed at the shooter and fired . The round impacted the projector displaying the billboard, sending sparks everywhere...

When the lights died down, the shooter was gone.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, firing more random shots out the window until it overheated. "Wait, SHIT!"

Turning as fast he could he ran over to where his armor was and found the first aid kit, ripping it off the belt as he went on. His boots slipped on a few shards of glass along the way but he slid behind the island ahead to a ghastly sight. Tali was holding Viza in her arm as she coughed up blood on the counter across from her.

"It's gonna be ok Viza I p-p-promise...shit! It's all happening again!" He yelled as his hands started shaking.

He ripped open the bag containing tubes of medigel and stuck the first one in her stomach, the second in her chest. It did everything as advertised except for what he wanted it to do. Pushing Tali aside he picked up Viza and laid her out on the island. Shaking as he went the sweats started coming back too. He stopped as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Damn it! Ok, Tali, grab the sharpest object you can get out of these drawers and make it quick!"

"Ok but cant we also wait on an ambulance..."

Grabbing her by the shoulders he pulled her in and got in her face. "There's no fucking time for that! She needs something to get the fluid out of her lungs and fast!"

Now nervous herself she went through all of the drawers around her as did he. Drawer after drawer contained nothing but spices, cloths, measuring cups...

"Would this work?" Tali asked, pulling an odd contraption out of the drawer in front of her.

Arthur examined the tool, with all of his understanding and nodded in approval. Thinking back to his military training he ripped open the top of her dress and focused the top of the tool on her chest. The little needle tip created just a wide enough opening to where blood started coming out.

Reaching through the drawers while holding the tool in place he found a baster and tossed the tool to the side, sucking the blood out from her chest one squeeze at a time. Tali stood in awe at the improvision going on in front of her, almost unable to notice the sirens heading their way. Gently she laid a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"Arthur, they're almost here. She is fine."

He never stopped even once to listen to her words he just continued sucking out blood and squirting it out in the sink behind him. On and on the process went until he heard a loud gasp coming from Viza. Coughs followed in close pursuit but not once did any of them produce blood.

"Ar...Arthur?" Viza weakly asked.

Grasping her hand with his free one he held on tight. "Yeah babe, its me. Tell me why did you come running into the room? I told you to stay down and..."

"Arthur, you were fighting Asari commandos." She interjected. "You and Tali have nothing to shield yourselves against biotics."

"Doesn't matter, that was pretty fucking foolish." He said as he bent down to kiss her. "You were also pretty bold to do that. Reminds me of an Asari I had on..." he started as he felt a vice like grip on his hand. "Shit, my bad."

The doors behind them opened to reveal a couple of Salarians in matching suits. A red stripe came across the uniforms along with the name of he service they worked for. Arthur stayed there even after they told him to stand back from the patient.

"Wait, did you perform the tracheotomy?" One of them asked.

"If that's what it's fuckin called then yeah." He replied.

"Are you family, friend, boyfriend?" The other paramedic asked.

"I dunno if you could put me in any of those categories. Still love her all the same."

"Hmm, without any specifics we're going to have to move on without you. It's not your fault it's just C-Sec policy requires..."

Arthur held up his hand for the fast talking Salarian to stop. "I know, I know. Can you at least give me a hospital?"

One paramedic looked at the other in confusion. Both shrugged their shoulders and set her up on the gurney they brought with them. Between the two the chief paramedic stood by and gave the location. None of this was standard procedure, then again he had never come across a case like this.

Right as his partner was leaving the room a Turian in blue armor walked in along with a team of others, omnitools at the ready. The paramedics were barely allowed to pass as the first one to step in scanned their badges and then the Asari. Arthur looked back at Tali and grimaced.

"Why did he have to scan her? What, is he going to save it later to spank off to or something?" He said where just about everybody could hear, including the Turian walking up to him.

"For your information I was actually getting facial recognition. Second, I'm female and I would appreciate it if you address me as such understood?" She replied in a very military manner. Just hearing her manner of speech almost brought Arthur back to his military days, almost.

"Yes m'am." They both replied.

"Good, first off I will need your names. Let's start with the man in the armor mesh."

"Um, ok. My name is Arthur Joseph Quinn, I'm former alliance military personnel now working as a freelance mercenary."

They watched as she typed everything in to her omnitool, scanning over every detail. "You know I already had the background information installed, but it's nice to know I'm not the only one with a military background here."

" _That's cute._ " He thought to himself. " _Turians her age have already gone through mandatory service, so all she's doing is making small talk to calm everybody down. Wonder if she thinks we need nap time too._ "

"Now for you miss?"

"Oh, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya..."

The officer typed in a little more data this time. Swiping over she cleared her throat as she began again. "Next I need you two to give me your accounts of what went down here. Arthur why don't you start?"

"Ok, do you want the brief version or the long one?"

"What do you think I need? Every detail matters in an investigation." She shot back.

" _Well, this is going to be a long night._ " He thought to himself.

Elsewhere in the galaxy a massive ship soared among the stars. A small fleet of other ships kept pace, holding a protective pattern around the dreadnaught. Deep inside the ship was who really mattered, at least in his own mind.

"I heard you coming down the hall my dear." He said to the figure standing at the door.

"Nowadays I cease to be amazed." She replied, sauntering towards the man ahead.

"To what do I owe this visit? Shall we try a new position or..."

"Nothing like that." She said with a blush. Never once did she think anybody would want her like he did in her matriarch years. "I simply came by to deliver a report on the matter at hand."

"Ah yes, the Quarian and the mercenary. Tell me, how did your commandos perform?"

Thinking of the words she had to deliver caused her to stop. She would never once want to betray him or their bond they shared, but the truth would come out eventually. Her commandos were considered the best of the best, but apparently so was the mercenary.

"They fell at the hands of the mercenary and..."

"WHAT!" The other yelled, enraged at the thought. Standing up now at full height he walked over to her and held her by the throat. "You sent EIGHT commandos to kill only two people, and one of them couldn't even fight. How? HOW?" He growled, demanding answer.

"They had help! There was another Asari there who caught them by surprise. She was not factored into the plan." She replied, breathing a sigh of relief as he let her go.

"Plans do change, and you might do some good by telling your commandos that." He replied, calming down. "No matter. It seems our influence in their affairs might not be necessary in the near future. The Shadow Broker seeks to acquire the information the Quarian has, but he will never even lay a hand on it."

"What makes you say that my love?" She said, placing a hand on each of his shoulders.

"Because, Fist is a trapped animal. I let the Krogan mercenary loose and Fist will more than likely retaliate after the abrupt end to our relationship. He will send men everywhere and anywhere to stop those two..."

"You always do have the most sound judgement in these situations." She purred, sliding a hand down his chest.

"Indeed." He replied, grabbing each side of her waist. "We shall soon reach Eden Prime, but before that, shall we celebrate?"

(Many hours later...)

Arthur sat and watched as Tali slept through the night since he could not shut his eyes. They decided on a hotel across the street from the hospital. Convenience played a role in the decision making the process easier, even if the cost was so high. All of the prices were higher than what he wanted and Arthur wanted to give them a piece of his mind, but Tali stopped him.

" _Everything sucks._ " He thought to himself as he fought to keep his eyes open.

He watched through his visor as the clock on the nightstand changed. At first he was shocked they let him keep his gear, no less walk away with Tali in tow. They left the apartment without a problem and right outside was their reason why.

Galu was resourceful, almost too resourceful at times. When the officer from earlier came out and greeted him, Arthur shook his head. Deep down he had a feeling Galu might be working for the broker, but that was all guesswork and speculation. How did he not know whether or not he had so many friends?

" _I've got to do something to keep me awake. Let's try the news._ "

Using the interface on the omnitool he turned the screen on, making sure to mash the mute button before it came on. The first channel he landed on was a Salarian with an apron making some sort of weird red dish. Next up came a Varren race, which caught his attention for a moment but the repetitiveness of it ate away at him.

Mashing the guide icon he flipped through the list before him, stumbling through until he found the news. The screen changed to a human in a business suit reporting on a recent "employee incident" at an apartment complex. Arthur shook his head almost changing the channel when the title text started talking about Eden Prime. The mute option was immediately turned off.

"Breaking news, an agricultural settlement named Eden Prime was attacked today. There were many casualties listed among the civilian population as reports say the Geth, of all things, attacked the settlement. Our sources can confirm a Geth attack, the question is why? Now going to our resident expert on such matters Saelmon, he will explain the random attack. Saelmon?"

"Uh, uh, yes...this is actually mind boggling to be precise. The Geth have not been seen beyond former Quarian space or also referred to as 'the veil' in centuries. They are a race, if we can even call them that, of AI masquerading in synthetic shells. There is not a single individual among them since they operate off of a hive mind. The question is, what could have provoked the Geth collective to do such an act?"

"Well Saelmon, we may not know, but the small squad of brave alliance soldiers who responded might." She said as four images popped up. "Commander Jane Shepard, Kaiden Alenko, and Ashley Williams were among those who survived and stopped the Geth attack. Unfortunately one of the group was lost, an alliance Marine by the name of Richard L. Jenkins, today we..."

"WHAT!" Tali exclaimed, making Arthur jump from the chair he was in. "Sorry."

"Damn woman! You need to let somebody know before you start yelling." He replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, but all I heard was the Geth and I jumped. Keelah, it's too late." She said burying her face in her hands.

"What's too late?"

"The information I was supposed to give the broker contained something that could have prevented this. There's an audio file I extracted from the Geth memory core. Saren mentioned about Eden Prime in the message."

Arthur stood up from his prone position and slid on the bed next to Tali, a slight twitch in his face. "Look, I beat the shit out of myself all the time for things out of my control. Crazy circumstances kill anything we need to do and so we have to find some way to deal with that."

"And just how do we go about doing that?"

"Uh, I guess we go ahead with the Shadow Broker deal or..." he started as his omnitool went off.

"What's that for?" Tali asked.

"I-I..."He stammered as his hands started shaking. "We need to get to the hospital, NOW!"

Quickly reassembling his handgun laid out on the table he slapped the weapon on the magnetic strip to his side, tossing the shotgun to Tali. She did not even ask why she needed it, instead she stored it away. Running out the door he dragged the panicked Quarian behind him, dodging people checking in and others in the hall.

As they made it into the elevator Arthur mashed the close button on the door as hard as he could. The doors eventually closed, giving Tali the time to raise another important question. "Arthur is this about Viza? Is she ok?"

"Maybe, I don't fucking know. I put a monitor program on the card reader inside and it just gave me an outdated ID. For all we know it could be a hitman, so just hold on to the bar right there with both hands." He replied.

"Hold on to the bar? Why?"

Punching in a few commands on his omnitool the elevator jolted from its stop, dropping as fast as it possibly could. Tali did not forget the advice she was given and held on for dear life. Arthur stayed in place standing still as the floors quickly blinked across the display.

"KEEELAH!" Tali yelled as Arthur typed in a few more commands, causing the elevator to come to a screeching halt.

"I think...I think I'm going to puke." She said as she tried to stand up.

"There's no time for that, we need to get over to the..."

 **BAM!**

A loud noise came from the other side of the doors. The elevator itself rocked from the impact outside. Using all of the strength he could muster, as well as the joints in his suit, he pulled the doors open and ran out to a lobby in panic. People were scrambling to get inside as dust and debris fell off the side of the building ahead.

Arthur was the first to run out, Tali following in suit. He plowed through a few gawkers, staring up at the sight above as if they never seen anything so shocking in their lives, and now sprinted across the bridge. The Quarian behind him tried to keep up, politely moving through the mob running away from the hospital.

" _Please tell me its an accident, please tell me it's an accident._ " He thought as he ran through the doors on the other side.

Going into the lobby he saw a few C-Sec officers lying on the ground and reached down to check their pulses. A slight twitch came across his face when he found out the results. Whipping out his handgun he stood by as Tali came in, out of breath.

"Can you carry on?" He asked, seriousness in his tone.

"I think I can." She replied, trying to catch her breath.

"Good."

Turning away from her he ran towards the closest elevator and ran a diagnostic scan. With red lights popping up all over the interface he went over to the other one and pulled the doors open. Everything inside was working, or so it seemed, and he waved Tali in to follow.

Once she got inside he pressed in a few commands on his omnitool and sent the elevator shooting up the shaft. Tali barely managed to grab onto the railing before they came to a sudden stop on the tenth floor. The doors opened halfway, still giving them both enough room to get out. Arthur walked out first with his handgun at the ready.

All around him was a sight to see. Burned nursing staff and doctors were strewn about the hall, warning lights flashed everywhere, and most important of all was the light coming from a certain room. Tali kept her shotgun focused on the hall behind them as the man in front scanned each room as they went by.

When they finally made it to Viza's room they both ran inside to see an increible sight. Viza was barely holding up a barrier to shield herself as a man wearing light armor tried to blast it down. She looked over at Arthur, lightly smiling as the barrier went down, mouthing a few words before the assassin took her.

 **BAM!**

"NOOOOOOO! YOU BASTARD!"

Before Arthur could level his weapon the assassin leaped through the opening he made, onto the roof of a nearby building. Midrun out the window he ripped off his helmet kissing Viza on the lips, a slight twitch on his face. Putting it back on he jumped out the opening, yelling something as he went off.

"WATCH OVER HER TALI!"

Looking down at the chase going on below her she thought to herself, " _What else can I do? Break my legs by jumping down there?_ "

With the thrusters he built into his boots, they slowed the fall on the roof below, throwing him into a roll. Forward momentum working with him he chased after the gunman from roof to roof, not even caring about the heights or anything. Turning the corner he pulled out his handgun and fired shot after shot, missing every time as he ran.

"Damn it!" He said to himself as he slowly started gaining on the runner.

Thinking ahead he typed in a few commands to his omnitool, aiming his handgun without firing a shot. A laser dot moved all around the runner, seeking to focus in. Just as the dot got a lock on the target a skycar came in from above, one of its doors opening as it came down.

The assassin looked back at the man behind him, grinning as he ran towards the car and stopped midair as he felt an immense pain shoot through his leg. He fell down hard, face first against the building below. Gunshots rang out behind him, causing the skycar to fall out of hover. It spiraled violently out of control until it eventually crashed to the ground. Flipping over to see what it was there was a hook sticking out of his right leg. Now he realized how fish felt.

"Ugh...look, it was nothing personal." He tried to rationalize as the menacing skull face came closer to him. "Please, I have a wife..." he stopped as the man stomped on his throat.

"I don't want to hear a DAMN thing about poor little you, bitch." Arthur replied, moving his boot to stomp on the man's chest. "First things first, who hired you!"

"F-Fuck you!" He barely got out.

"Wrong answer." Arthur shot back twisting the hook around in the man below him.

"AAAAAUGH!" He screamed.

"TELL ME EVERYTHING OR I SHISKEBAB YOUR BALLS WITH MY KNIFE! THAT WAY YOU WONT EVEN HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT YOUR WIFE!"

"Ok, ok! Al-Saddir, it was Al-Saddir! Fist wanted you out of the picture so he could get the Quarian and make amends with the Broker, so he contacted an old friend of yours!"

Picking him up by his chestplate he got in his face. "Al-Saddir is no friend of mine asshole. Tell me, is he here?"

"No, no. He's not stupid enough to get near you again, not after you nuked an entire station just to kill him!"

"Hmph, what a fuckin shame." Arthur replied, tone darkening as he threw the hitman to the roof.

Standing above the assassin he leveled the handgun to his face and fired the first shot through, spreading gore below. The other following shots were just for "extra measure" as Arthur saw fit. One hand on his arm he disconnected the hook from the launcher and turned to leave.

As he turned around he saw a familiar figure standing before him. She had her arms crossed like she usually did, except for the breach on her mask. He had to rip off his helmet to even breathe as he fell to the ground as a violent heatwave shot through his body. Unlike so many other times she walked over to him, kneeling down to his level.

"He's still alive Arthur darling, and as long as he lives, everybody around you will not. We both know this from experience love, now don't we?"

Arthur burst into tears as he buried his face in the roof below.

"No..."

"No..."

"NO..."

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" He finished falling into a trembling wreck on the roof below him.


	5. Chapter 5: Going pains

The ceremony sending her off was beautiful. All of those who had served alongside her building and working on the apartments showed up. If somebody walked up to the proceedings, they could have assumed a council member had passed away, or an ambassador. There was barely enough room to hold all of the visitors.

People of all sorts came up to give their testimony of how Viza impacted their lives. These were not paid actors, and everyone could tell. A Salarian came up talking about his drug addiction which led him to lose his home. Viza's counselors helped him rehab and not only rebuild his life, but his career as an architect.

Another came up, a Turian woman missing a fringe. She was trafficked all across the traverse, eventually freed by C-Sec when she was smuggled onto the Citadel. Viza personally saw to her and the recovery after the trauma. For quite some time afterward she had trust issues and now could gladly point to her husband and daughter sitting in the front row.

The last one, the one which hurt the most was the Asari. She mentioned about her time as one of Viza's bodyguards and closest consultants. Her speech was one everybody would take with them when they left.

"I remember going through a rough patch in my life just as Viza did. I worked for a private security company for years and ended up on the wrong side of an engagement. They tortured me and my friends for months until we were freed by an alliance patrol. I felt I could never move on, move forward past it all until she helped me. All of us fight on thinking we are the only ones going through awful times and circumstances, oh how blind we are until we receive that helping hand."

She teared up along with a few others in the audience, including a mercenary sitting in the front row. Once the Asari left the stage he came up to the front. His suit was tighter than usual, having the mesh layer underneath for everything after. As he got up to the front he looked down at the crowd, not just Galu but all of those impacted by Viza.

"My name is Arthur Quinn. At one point in time..." he stopped as struggled to form the words. "I thought I would get to share the rest of my life with Viza. We were engaged when I made the selfish decision to help out an old soldier hash out his wrath."

Nobody made a sound at all as he delivered the next words. "I...I went along with a band of mercenaries, we thought of ourselves as a bunch of misfits, throwaways for someone else's revenge. It was then I somehow managed to forget what was important to me and had an affair with a Quarian on our team."

Now the crowd made some noise, nothing loud, but not unnoticeable. Arthur shifted in his suit, the comfortable fabric now feeling like the worst itch. He noticed all of the gazes focused on him and it made his heart sink to the lowest of lows.

"I never knew Viza was carrying our kid...through my selfishness, my stupidity I not only got Kinja killed, but I also killed our child. I never knew it until she told me after I 'came back' from the dead. In my quest to help an old friend I disregarded one of the best decisions of my life. This speech...is my apology. We all know it's after the fact, but I wanted to make it clear. She wanted me to get on these pills I was prescribed to help me with my PTSD, and out of pride I nearly threw them away. Right now I can say I'm taking her advice, and if I didn't I wouldn't be able to make this speech. None of this makeos up for the sins of the past, but with her guidance I hope I can move on and make a better future."

Silence followed, just as the interlude before. There were still many judging eyes staring back at him, shocking how a few of them stood up and gave speeches on second chances earlier. Then out of nowhere Galu jumped out of his seat and wobbled to the stage. Arthur stepped back as Galu suddenly became the center of attention.

"For years I watched Viza pour her heart, her selfless love for others I struggled to find myself. Time and time again she would help those in need get back up on their feet and reclaim their lives. What shocks me right now are the many in the crowd who would not give this man the same!" He said as pointed at Arthur.

"We've all commited ourselves to stupid and foolish acts which betray others. Some have even gone through circumstances that were out of their control such as Arthur's mental condition. So why can we not afford the same love and acceptance as we have given each other to this man right here? Or is it only for ourselves?"

Arthur was taken back by the short speech the short Volus just gave. Never once did he think Galu had it in him to stand up like he did. He always had the mind his short friend never had a temper the size of his body, but today proved him wrong.

Throughout the crowd he watched as shifty gazes looked down towards the ground. Solemn faces now sat in every row, not a single one changed. Maybe, just maybe they all needed some humility after taking so much pride in themselves.

"Let us not turn this day of mourning into a day the likes of which Viza would never want to see. Let us respect the wishes of the deceased by giving a second chance to others as she gave on to ourselves. Thank you."

Arthur stood by his friend as the crowd one by one erupted with cheers and praise. A grin graced his face as he came to the realization of how Galu became such a great salesman. After all, every great seller has to have a great pitch. Guiding him off the stage Galu walked Arthur to the back where Tali was waiting.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" He asked as he opened up his omnitool.

"Galu, you make it sound like I'm going to be gone forever. I'm just going to escort Tali to the meet up with the agents of the Shadow Broker, get her where she needs to be, and be on time for Viza's burial. It will all work out."

"Hmph, you sound confident for everything that's happened since you arrived. Don't be so arrogant about this my friend, after all, there are people out there looking to kill you."

They both stopped by a pillar as Tali walked up to them. "I heard everything Arthur...I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's...I can't say ok otherwise I'd be lying. I'm just going to say it's another reason why you shouldn't be as dumb as me. People die when you make stupid decisions, I learned that in basic training."

"You could have that framed on a wall, or be like me and have that on record." Galu replied, shutting off his omnitool. "Now, there is a skycar waiting for you outside, unmarked and untraceable. Your armor is waiting for you in the men's restroom, all patched up and ready to go."

"Thanks Galu. Maybe we'll have to host that party with Viza elsewhere."

"Indeed, good luck."

Inside his head he hoped the best for Arthur, but at this point in time even the thought was difficult. The past day or so had been a massive reality check for him coming out of his not so permanent state of death. Now would be the ultimate test of whether or not Arthur would find a new life ahead of not.

A change in his armor would never suit him. This is why Arthur checked to see if everything was still the same as it always as with his suit before he put it on. He just wanted to make sure nothing was out of place.

As they flew towards their destination Tali took a notice of the onboard GPS. "I'm looking at the local business around he meeting place. Was Doctor Michel's business always there?"

Taking a moment to examine the map, even Arthur raised a brow in suspicion. "Wait, wait, wait...you said the meeting place was here right?"

"Yes, right in this alleyway. Why?"

Punching the dash he tried everything in his power to refrain from breaking his new rule. "Fist's nightclub is just out the door here and around the corner. Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I had no clue who Fist was until we met first of all. Second, I have never been to Chora's Den before, so I never associated the two. It's not my fault I've only been to the Citadel once in my life for all of this to happen...keelah, all I wanted to do was get something great for my pilgrimage."

"You wanted to contribute something to the fleet you mean?" Arthur asked.

"Exactly! How did you...oh, I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize." He replied dimly.

"Tell me, since we have some time. Why did you 'cheat' on Viza if she offered you a new life?"

He always wanted to skirt around the big questions, the avoidable until asked types. Off the pill he probably would have just told her off, but now he was sober. All of the feelings came back through his head as he mustered the courage to speak.

"The job was taking longer than I had thought. We had kept in touch through messages but Kinja took an interest in me. Everything was platonic at first, just friends. Then after a while I noticed I wasn't getting any messages back from Viza and waited about a month or two until doubt started to creep in. That's when she had me in her trap."

"Trap? What trap? You could have still tried to..."

"Tali, Kinja hacked my omnitool and I didn't even know it. She made me think Viza didn't want me anymore and waited until my mind was softened up enough to come in and claim what she thought was hers. I should have known better, I really should have, about how sick and twisted she was."

Slowing down the skycar as they approached just outside of the Doctors office. They barely missed a red headed alliance solider followed by a Turian in C-Sec gear and a Krogan as they went through a door across the way. As the car touched down, Arthur got out first and scanned the area for anyone suspicious and walked over to Tali's side when the coast seemed clear.

"I could have easily told you how crazy she was." Tali replied as they walked down towards the shops. "When they held a hearing before the captains there were notes she had made attachments for the Geth."

"What kind?" He asked.

He could not see it but she was blushing underneath her mask. "The kind used for um...oh keelah there's no way of getting around it, lifelike enhancements."

"Lifelike enhancements? What do you mean by...oh, oh wow."

"Yes, she rarely enjoyed the company of others so she made some." She replied with a shiver.

Walking through the door ahead the clamor of the daily rabble echoed off the walls. Arthur grabbed onto Tali's hand and held on for dear life as lines of customers in some cases turned out to be more like mobs. Every time they ran into someone she would apologize, but all he wanted to do was get through, even if it meant shoving people around.

Downstairs was a similar situation, people crowding the booths in herds. Unlike her counterpart, Tali was getting the worst of it. She was not the armored of the two as she got a jab to the ribs here, a stomped on toe there and nearly got headbutted by a Krogan who was not looking. By the time they made it to the other side she almost thought they would need to pay Doctor Michel another visit.

As instructed they went up a flight of stairs into what looked somewhat like a maintenance tunnel, but it was actually an alleyway. Red lights shone up above as they walked to the middle of the space. Arthur looked down at his omnitool to check and see if they were on time.

"So, they said some time after midday right ?" He asked, somewhat antsy.

"Yes, sometime around then and..." Tali started, stopping as the door across the way opened up. A Turian followed by a couple of armored up Salarians followed close behind. Arthur reached to his side and quickly primed his handgun, standing at parade rest as they approached.

"Tali'Zorah?" The Turian asked, getting closer.

"Yes, are you the agent I'm supposed to contact?" She said awkwardly as he got closer.

"Absolutely. So, do you have the information on Saren with you?" He asked, running his talons down from her shoulder to her forearm.

"Yes, but...I only told the broker I had information on a Spectre, not who exactly."

Arthur finally decided to intervene in the situation shoving the Turian away. "I think you're the wrong people, and I'd suggest you back the hell off." He said, pulling Tali behind him.

"What's the big deal? I'm just getting a feel of the customer before we make a transaction. It's what I normally do." The Turian replied with a grin.

"So you normally act like a fu...a sex offender with everybody you come across?" He shot back, hand slowly reaching for his gun.

"Heh, it doesn't matter anyways since you're both dead. Slag em!" He yelled as another door opened up across the way.

"Freeze nobody move!" Another Turian in C-Sec wear yelled.

As Arthur and Tali turned to see who it was the "agent" grabbed Tali by the arm, trying to run off with her as the Salarians opened fire. Then the newcomers decided to open fire as well, putting Arthur in the middle of it all. Mentally he thanked Galu for refurbishing his armor, otherwise his shields would not have taken the beating they were right then and there.

He ducked behind a pile of crates, whipping out his handgun as the Turian in blue armor walked up to him and held him at gunpoint. If he were any closer then he could have easily disarmed him, but for now all he could do was hold his hands over his head as the Krogan and the woman with the red hair charged after Tali. Waiting just a moment more the Turian eventually got close enough to where he could move and as he did, a few rounds went off to the side as he slapped the rifle away. Then with quick and brutal force he used the joints in his suit to shove the rifle back in his face, further disorienting him, and ripped the rifle out of his hands.

"Get down on the ground!" He yelled as the tables had turned. "Stay here and don't move." He said as he slowly backed away.

"Not on your life, you're not going to hurt anyone." The Turian threatened as he jumped up, throwing Arthur off balance. The impact threw him back, losing his grip on the rifle which landed yards away from him. As the Turian straddled his waist he somehow managed to find the seals to his helmet and ripped it off. Arthur just held his hands out in front, trying to catch one of the blows coming at him.

Blow after blow came his way as he tried to block each one and then the Turian got sloppy. Arthur grabbed his opponents arm, locking it into place with one arm as the other grappled the the other. Right as the Turian came in for a headbutt he dodged it and used the opportunity to roll over on the guy, now having more control of the battle.

"Stand down I'm only here to protect the Quarian." Arthur tried to yell over the gunfire.

"I hardly believe that!" The Turian yelled, trying to regain control of the fight.

"Suit yourself." Arthur said as he rolled around on him locking one of the Turians arms in an arm bar. "Now with my weight here on your chest, and enough pressure..." he started as he slowly pulled his opponents arm back.

A low growling noise came from his opponent As he first tried to kick out of it. Arthur just grinned at the efforts, all useless against the hold he had him in. He continued pulling his arm further and further away causing the growls to turn into painful yelling. What both of them did not notice was the sudden lack of gunfire in the alleyway.

"Arthur stop!" Tali yelled. Looking over her way he saw Tali standing by the redhead and the Krogan from earlier. "Let him go, he's not one of them!"

"Really? Well, this is awkward." He replied suddenly letting go of the Turian below him.

As he stood up he helped the Turian up, being sure not to pull too hard on his left arm. He patted him on the back hoping to mull things over, and got a cold stare. Walking over to the group he picked up his helmet, choosing not to put it on for once.

"So just who are...wait a minute I saw you on the news!" Arthur said as he walked up to them. "You're commander Shepard aren't you?"

"That I am, and you are?"

Sticking out his hand she grabbed hers and shook it with some enthusiasm. "Arthur Quinn, I'm a mercenary well, used to be a mercenary."

"Why used to?" The Krogan asked.

"Well technically speaking I was hired to kill or kidnap the Quarian right between you guys and I found out the guy who hired me was planning on killing me afterwards. So here I am." He replied as he shrugged.

"Damn. At least I get to know who's hiring me before I jump into a contract. Who hired you?"

"A pile of Varren manure named Fist."

"Well good news, he's been taken care of." The Krogan replied, blowing on the barrel of his shotgun before he put it away.

"Wait what?" Arthur asked in surprise.

"Yeah, Shepard stood back and let me take care of business." The Krogan said with a grin "Good thing too. I don't like to leave a bounty undone."

"Which May have been satisfying to see, but was against the law." The Turian replied.

"But he deserved it now didn't he? He tried to con this guy into killing somebody while trying to put a bullet in his back and he turned his back on the broker. I don't think there's anybody mourning for him."

The Turian grumbled, "Still doesn't make it right, as much as I agree with you..."

"Hah! Told you he was a bad cop." The Krogan laughed.

"You know if you guys need a room I heard there's a nice hotel near the presidium." Arthur added.

The Krogan laughed as as the C-Sec guy, whoever he was stomped away. Shepard grinned as somebody else who shared her sense of humor was finally found somewhere in the vast galaxy. Checking her omnitool she rallied the troops even asking Arthur to join in.

"If you're all done kissing each other's asses, we have somewhere to be." The commander started as she walked away.

"So where are we going to exactly?" Arthur asked.

"First we're going to coordinate with Ambassador Udina, then we take the evidence to the council. I can't wait to shove it right in their faces just how wrong they were about their favorite Spectre." Shepard said with a grin.

(Light years away...)

Blizzards were a constant on Noveria. Snow covered the corners of the panes, but snow was not the only element plaguing the planet. A small and luxurious ship docked into one of the open bays. Opulence was not uncommon, but opulence with firepower drew attention.

Noveria security waited on the other side of the bridge as the arm stretched out to lock the ship into place. Seals clamped onto the outside and hissed as the ship's atmosphere was matching that of the planet. The door gave way to a small contingent of armed guards along with a man with half a mask covering his face.

Many an oddball had come and gone through the port and he would just be another among the number. As they reached the other side he security lead for the area stopped the group before they could go any further.

"I'm sorry mister..."

"Ahman Al-Saddir, and never forget that."

"Ok, Mr. Al-Saddir I'm going to need your men to leave their rifles onboard. They can carry smaller firearms we just need you to leave those behind before you gain entry."

Ahman grumbled under his breath something they probably would not want to hear and ordered his men to turn their rifles over to port security. They did not understand the order at first and needed some coaxing to turn over the quality weapons to the glorified cops. With the weapons in hand they ordered for them to follow as they marched back to the bag check and security area.

The lesser port officers moved to their stations all across the room as the security chief operated the scanner. One by one the guards made their way to the other side, stopping as Al-Saddir went through. He bowed to the security chief with a smile as the chief nodded back. Stepping away to rally his private security into the elevator he ushuered them into the quickly shrinking space.

Floor by floor a light noise reached their ears with every floor passed. Then as they reached the floor they wanted it opened up to an inside garden area, lavishly made with steaming pools. Sitting by one of the only sources of heat in the room was a shapely young woman with flowing black hair.

"Ah the jewel of the Illusive Man's eye. You may stay by the elevator now." He said as he turned to the guards.

"Doctor Al-Saddir, it is a pleasure as always." She replied in kind offering her hand.

The Doctor, as distinguished as he was bent down, not breaking eye contact as he laid a light kiss. "My dear, what brings us to such a cold and dreary place to meet?"

Sitting back by the heating pool she picked up the data pad she left there before. "I am sorry but I will need to make this brief. Our mutual employer finds it useless to waste our resources on what he calls 'petty' revenge."

Ahman sat down next to her, confusion on his face. "Petty? Oh, ho, ho, ho, my dear, what I am spending our funds on is not petty. Has our employer forgotten about Quinn's team and what they did to damage our cause? Damage our research? Damage me?" He said as he removed the mask.

She looked up from the data pad at his face, slightly grimacing as she looked back down. "I understand your personal attachment with Quinn, but you need to be focusing on our other projects. May I remind you the project your team is in charge of is of the utmost importance to Cerberus and we need the funds."

Shaking his head he laughed as he put the mask back on. Looking out at the snow as it fell images of fiery sparks flew by. Screams and gunfire followed along with a loud explosion. There was a slight tremble in his right hand as he turned it into a fist.

"Doctor Al-Saddir?"

"Yes, yes, right." He replied, snapping out of his state.

"You should be more serious about this, all of it. We are fighting for a worthy cause after all. Humanity needs the work we are doing."

"Yes, yes, of course. We must also realize not every human sees what Cerberus does and Quinn is one of them. If you remember correctly he was the one who blew up my last project, with the fission core of the space station nonetheless. Our mutual employer should know about the threat he poses as long as he's alive. Especially as long as he knows I am alive."

Out of the shadows came a figure, some of his features shimmering and reflecting the light. The reflections caught the Doctor's eye, causing some of his men to flinch. As he approached the figure laughed laying a hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

"This is where I come in, more importantly those who have learned from the best of the best. Rest assured Doctor you can keep our money where it needs to be, and we will take care of everything else."

(Back on the Citadel...)

"Incredible, just incredible! Tell me Shepard, just when were you going to tell me you recieved such damning evidence?" The Ambassador asked again, crinkling his nose.

"Again ambassador, I just got ahold of this information, this is as new to me as it is to you." She replied.

The ambassador crossed his arms, frustrated with the answer he got. He wanted evidence against Saren earlier and all he had was hot air, as if the council did not already think of him as such. Looking over at the Captain, he too seemed to be slowly wrapping his head around the whole revelation.

"So Captain Anderson? What do you think we should do about this?"

The Captain held back for a moment, thinking about what he said. He wanted to give the council a hard time after what had all happened, especially since he lost one of his men in the whole fiasco. Answers needed to be given and justice needed to be disbursed. Saren had to be brought to justice.

"I could not have asked for better timing. The council should be coming back into cession very soon. They might hear us out again." He said hammering one fist into the open palm of his other hand. "We need to strike the iron while it's hot, and now is the time Ambassador. Do you think they will give us another chance to plead our case?"

The ambassador knew just what to say, but Shepard also had something on her mind, and she was not one to be shy. "If they don't seriously give us another chance to present something, especially something as important as this, then they will be sure to have my boot shoved so far up..."

"Shepard!" The Ambassador jumped in. "Mind your temper! Believe me when I say I am as livid as you are about this, but we have to approach this matter diplomatically! If we don't, then Saren will walk away from all of this with a dead Marine's blood on his hands."

"As well as so many others." The one recently found out to be Garrus chimed in.

"Then it is settled. Tali'Zorah is it?"

"Yes."

"You will come with me as well as the Captain. As for you Shepard..."

"Wait, how am I not coming with you? Me, Kaiden, and Ashley were all on the ground when..."

"Commander! Know your limits! As you have clearly shown you are too heavily invested in this matter to clearly speak with the council. If we need you we will contact you."

Shepard simply stormed out of the room, dragging the other two humans waiting outside with her. As the ambassador and his credible witness left Arthur briefly stopped her out the door. The ambassador did not even stop for a moment, he was a man on a mission.

"Arthur it's going to be ok. I'm actually going to present the evidence before the council." She said with glee.

"Wow, well uh, good luck with that."

"Thank you." She replied, running off to catch up with the rest of the group.

A moment of silence followed as Arthur stared on at the Quarian walking out the door. Behind him A low growl escaped from the Krogan's stomach. Garrus followed in suit, not even expecting it.

"So I guess I'm not the only one who feels like I could eat a thresher maw?" Wrex asked the remaining group.

"I hate it when my stomach sympathy grumbles...tell you both what, I know someplace not too far from here I like to stop by." Garrus replied.

The Krogan laughed, "Well I hope you've got something for him too" he said pointing at the last human in the group. "Actually, scratch that, I don't think I've ever seen what happens to a human when they eat Turian slop."

"Well it's definitely great to know you've got my health and well-being on your minds." Arthur rebutted, rather cross.

The trio walked down and out of the embassies, over to a noodle bar of all places. While they moved on to food of the best variety, Kaiden and Ashley were having to put up with the council and their ire towards the human ambassador, more importantly an irate commander.

"Those bastards had better convict that son of a bitch!" Shepard almost yelled.

"Glad to see we're in agreement." Ashley replied.

"I agree, but can we at least tone it down a little?" Kaiden added.

"What's up with you Kaiden? Why aren't you as pissed off as the rest of us? You and I both saw Jenkins ripped apart by the Geth, and Saren was the one leading them!" Shepard raised her voice as she replied, causing some heads to turn.

"I know I know..." he said as he looked around the room, "but you don't need to be yelling about it, especially here! Besides, the council could still give you Spectre status."

"Kaiden Alenko." Shepard replied, poking her finger in his chest. "How dare you suggest I'm more upset over some useless fucking promotion than the lives of those on Eden Prime."

The biotic shook his head in disbelief at what he was hearing. He maybe thought the meer mention of becoming a Spectre might get her to calm down, but he was wrong. Worse part was Ashley's involvement did not even to make things better.

"I haven't even been with you for long and you just seriously said that?" She added to the consensus against him.

"Ok fine. I've tried everything literally everything the Ambassador would want you to do..."

"Oh so now this is about the ambassador?" Ashely interrupted.

Kaiden did not even hide the fact he rolled his eyes. Not once did he expect to see such immaturity out of professional soldiers. A wave of relief finally came over him when Tali walked down the steps. For once the focus was on someone else.

"I only need Shepard to come with me. The council would like to speak with you."

"Finally!" The commander replied, throwing her hands up in the air.

The two walked back up the steps as Kaiden and Ashley followed far behind. As they reached the apex, they could hear the ambassador and captain talking to themselves. Then when they came into view the talking stopped.

"Commander Shepard, today is a good day." The Ambassador said with a smile as he turned towards the council.

"Udina smiling?" She said to the captain. "What did they say?"

"Listen for yourself." The captain replied.

"From the evidence presented we see here Saren was indeed involved in the attack on Eden Prime, as well as an accomplice." Councilor Valern stated.

"Yes, I seem to recognize the voice." Councilor Tevos added. "She is none other than matriarch Benezia, a powerful influence and biotic among my people."

"True, something must be done to rectify the situation." Councilor Sparatus chimed in.

"One option I would consider is promoting commander Shepard to Spectre status. From what I understand if she had those resources, Saren would not stand a chance!" Ambassador Udina replied, smile still on his face.

"Indeed." Councilor Valern added.

"If I may..."Councilor Sparatus interjected. "I am somewhat hesitant to give such privileges to the commander."

"And why would that be?" The Ambassador added, looking back at a furious looking Shepard.

"Her past service, including the brutal campaign of revenge on Torfan would suggest..."

"That I am the perfect candidate for the job!" Shepard butted in, standing beside the ambassador now. "I've shown I will do anything to get the job done, to kill the enemy. In this case, he's one of your best Spectres. Giving me Spectre status and ending his would give you an advantage against him, especially since I have a chip on my shoulder. As you've noted Councilor, I play best when I have a chip on my shoulder."

Udina thought everything he said had just been undone by the loose cannon commander standing right next to him, but the looks on the councilor's collective faces told a different story. Each of them looked at one another not in confusion or shock, but affirmation. Was this finally happening?

"I believe that we have come to an agreement commander." Councilor Tevos started. "You've shown many qualities we seek in a Spectre."

As she began the ceremony many on the balconies above heard the first few words and began to ramble on. Others watched with their omnitool open, snapping pictures. They would never forget this moment for the rest of their lives.

"These qualities are the likes of which have defined past Spectres. Those who have gone down the path and have sworn an oath to protect the people within Citadel space, even if it means laying down their very lives." Councilor Valern added.

"Trained with the utmost skill in combat they go forth where others will not and take the fight to the worst foes anyone can face. Commander, are you prepared to take the fight to such an enemy?" Councilor Sparatus asked

Stepping forward the commander replied. "I will. Saren will fall, along with anyone else who fights with him, I can guarantee that."

"Then on behalf of all those represented in council space..." Tevos began as she and the others pressed a single command in the consoles in front of them. "We now add you to the ranks of Spectres past and present. Know this, Saren Arterius is a wanted criminal fleeing from justice. As a Spectre you are now an instrument of such."

"It is my honor. Let us also not forget of the reaper threat we face." Shepard added, causing the Ambassador to facepalm.

"Commander, let us retreat before you further ruin the moment." The Ambassador said as he walked away.

Shepard watched as the council members walked out of the room each. The only one staring back being the Turian Councilor, shaking his head as he left the room. She wanted to ask the Councilor what was going through his head, then again she could probably assume what. As she made her way to the stairwell she was stopped by a rather happy captain Anderson.

"Shepard, I could not be any more proud of this moment."

"Thank you captain."

"At one point in time I stood where you once were. The council considered me for Spectre once." He added with a grin.

"When was this? I never heard of it." She replied.

The captain crossed his arms as he shook his head. "Saren had a part to play in it all. He ended up costing innocent lives and blamed me for it. All of it is in the past, but I don't easily forget what he had done. Maybe if I had know what kind of man he would become..."

"Captain, dont dwell on the past, trust me. It can hurt you only as much as you allow it too." She as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Every now and then I need a reminder. I should be thanking you...and I think I know just how to do so. Come on, let's follow up with the others."

(Back with Arthur...)

"I mean those were great noodles..."

"But?" Garrus asked, curious as to what the human had to say.

"They're so expensive. Why not just get instant noodles? Everything there cost an arm and a leg and instant noodles are cheap." Arthur replied.

Garrus never understood human idioms and this one completely confused him. "An arm and a leg? Are you talking about the black market costs?"

Wrex laughed from the other side of the group. At least he had known enough humans to understand their language. The confusion was lost on Arthur who had his face buried in the palm of his hand.

"It means paying more than I thought."

"Oh...well in that case, you do know they import the noodles right?" Garrus asked.

"Of course, it's not like they have fields where they can grow here, but what I'm trying to say is that instant noodles are more convenient." Arthur replied.

"Hmph, they may be more convenient for you, but when I'm that hungry I need a bowl that big." Wrex added holding his hands apart.

"You mean as big as your skull?" Garrus shot back with a grin.

"If you're trying to make a fat joke it won't work. I'm all muscle unlike you Turian." He replied as he flexed his his arms.

"And what about the brain, I mean after all you said you're all muscle? I don't think the brain qualifies. Arthur chimed in from the other side.

Garrus laughed as Wrex stomped off ahead towards the elevator leading to the council chambers, mumbling something under his breath. As he walked away a small chime tone came from his omnitool. Opening the app he saw a message from Galu and stopped where he was to read it.

The C-Sec officer ahead of him paused and looked back, wondering why Arthur stopped moving. He even waved for Wrex to come back, which took more than minute with the angry look on his face. Garrus reached out with his talons and laid a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"Is everything all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I've just got to...say would you and Wrex follow me somewhere. I have to say goodbye to friend...a very close friend."

"Well if they're as close as you suggest then let's go!" Wrex yelled as he came closer.

(Nearly an hour later...)

Both of them stayed a distance away as Arthur walked the casket over to the ship lying in wait. Eyes of those who had attended earlier were on him and from time to time laying flowers on the casket. The sight broke his heart, more so when a Turian girl in a cast laid the last one, a beautiful flower native to Palaven.

Approaching the ship he kept one hand on the casket, another on his heart. "I can't say it enough...I'm sorry. For everything I've done that hurt you and our child. Just know that everything is going to be covered all right. You will be with little Casia..." he started as he began to choke up. Not once did he notice the Volus walking in tow with him.

"Promises were kept Arthur, she never knew you donated the credits for Casia's funeral. All went on just as you asked." He replied, putting one hand on the other side of the casket.

"I know that Galu, I just feel like the worst human to ever exist for what I did to her. She was so close to having our baby Galu...I was gonna be a dad...I fucked up."

"True. There was a price you paid for your miscues in life, but I do believe there was a silver lining in all of this."

Arthur sputtered as he tried to form a grin, wiping the tears from his face. "You would be the one to find something good in all of this."

They walked with the casket until it was loaded inside the cargo bay of the sleek vessel. Two Asari sealed the door, forming one last divide between the two former lovers. With a guiding hand Galu was able to pull him away from the glass where he had been standing for a while.

"I never finished my statement. Maybe the silver lining in it all is to finish what you started." Galu continued from earlier.

"And what would that be exactly?" He replied.

"You were originally hired to take in the Quarian girl and it brought you here to this point. From what I heard her information lead to Saren losing his Spectre status. More than that, Jane Shapard became the first human Spectre, and she's going to need a team."

Arthur stopped shaking his head. "But shouldn't I be going with Viza to see her burial? I've already left her once..."

"Arthur..." Galu started, "You and Viza were never getting back together. The pain you caused her and the suffering you've gone through made too much of a divide. She was already dead to you and vice versa when you two met again."

"So what you're saying is..."

"Time does not heal by any measure. She held onto you, the you she thought she knew. Besides, her family never forgave you. They let me know personally they wanted you dead if they ever saw you."

"I...I..."

"Coming back wasn't the smartest idea I'm afraid. The life you lived after leaving her killed everybody. As much as I care about you, never getting involved in our lives again just might be the best remedy. I'm not contradicting myself, I'm just stating the facts. Go with Shepard, join her crew, and move on. You made your bed Arthur, now lay in it...goodbye earth clan."

All he could do was stand there in shock. Every last one of the thoughts were scrolling through his head. The decisions he made, the dumbest decisions anyone could ever make, led to this point. Now he had to go off the words of his drill instructor.

"Embrace the suck and move on kid. Acknowledge the fact you fucked up and march forward, because the life that you signed up for is different than all others and yet at the same time similar. Unlike all these other civvies, when you take a beating, I mean just get the shit beat out of you, you carry on..."

Carry on...

Just like any soldier should...


	6. Chapter 6: All Aboard

The newly made Spectre watched as crates were loaded on and off the ship with a devilish grin. Unlike most women, she got a little more excited than usual when she was around ordinance. Not in the sexual kind either, more like a fascination with everything explosive.

All of the others had already come back aboard at the news they were going to ship out again. As Captain Anderson reached the lift a light tone came from the doorway. Anderson stood back as a masked Arthur and company waked past.

"Captain." Arthur stopped with a salute as the others went on to the ship.

"Former Alliance I presume?" He replied, saluting in kind.

"Yes sir, I served with the best of them on Elysium."

"At ease solider. You were one of the many repelling those pirates in the Skyllian Blitz?" Anderson replied, awe in his voice.

"Sir, I was one of the men leading the charge up until a stray round took me out of the fight." He replied beating his hand on his chest. "Pirate bastard had to use heavily modded weapons to beat Alliance armor. If it wasn't for the medic in my squad I wouldn't be here."

"So you're the one called the silver-haired knight?" Shepard said as she walked up to the two.

"'Silver-haired'? Aren't you a little young to start getting those?" Anderson questioned.

Removing his helmet he revealed the style he had worked on since he left the alliance. He took pride in the fact that unlike so many rookies in the mercenary business, nobody used his hair against him. Military experience helped him with his walk in life, not everybody could attest the same.

"Our garrison was somewhat loose on the regs so I kept it that way."

"I would think of it like a signature, something to strike fear into my enemies or give them a nice new memory." Shepard replied with a grin.

"Kind of like Torfan right?" Arthur added without even thinking.

Anderson clearered his throat, maybe expecting Shepard to lose her cool. Oddly enough nobody was dying or dead, there was only a crazy grin on Shepard's face. Anybody else making the face she did would have thought she was insane, then again they were talking to someone known as the "butcher" of Torfan.

"That's true, very true." She replied placing a hand on his shoulder, firmer than he would have expected. "Don't forget it."

"Sorry, but I have to leave. I'm going off to coordinate with the ambassador. Good luck Shepard." Anderson saluted as he went off.

"Guess that's the signal to get back on board and start this hunt." Shepard said, cracking her knuckles.

Taking a moment to marvel at the ship in the background Arthur approved the of the vessel. Nowhere did it compare to his old ship back in the Alliance days, but he did not believe the council wanted to send in a cruiser or a carrier on a manhunt. Across the bridge they passed through the outer door on the ship, waiting for it to seal them in. Airlocks pressurized as lightwave passed over them.

"Decontamination in progress." The ship alerted as it repeated over and over again.

Shepard waited for the scanner to retract before she started unlatching her armor. Unlike Arthur who wanted to get out of there as fast as possible she dropped every piece to the ground, occasionally dropping one behind her. In her mind, calling her out earlier like that was a challenge, and she wanted him to give her a reason to lash out as she did with so many others.

Expectations are sometimes met and not, and in the case of Shepard her current expectations were never met. He simply stored his armor away in the wall locker and turned to get aboard. The newly made Spectre behind him scoffed at his antics, or what she thought them to be.

"Commanding officer is aboard, XO Pressly stands relieved."

Once the announcement reached their ears, each of the crew put down all they were working on to salute their new CO. They were caught off guard when Arthur came aboard, who just glanced around at the respect and saluted back, not even paying attention to the already fuming commander behind him.

"Ahem." She cleared her throat finally getting Arthur's attention.

"Oh, apologies Commander." He replied, quickly moving out of the way.

"Smooth." Joker added from the cockpit.

As she stood before them Shepard gave them a salute before signaling them back to their stations. Heading to the helm to debrief Joker she shoved Arthur out of the way, practically throwing him against the wall. At any other time and with anyone else, he would never have taken such a bold move. Now though he was having to readjust to a command structure and he could only guess why Shepard acted like she did.

"Welcome aboard commander. How does it feel to have the Normandy?" Joker asked.

Shepard was almost hesitant to reply, scowling at the sole reason why. "I don't exactly like it, I'm not going to lie. Anderson was screwed out of a great command post, and I hope to make the best of it."

"Sounds good Commander. What would you like to say to the crew before we get this show on the road?"

Mulling it over in her head was never an easy task for Shepard. She was always best when she was working on her feet, constantly moving. So instead of speaking off of some card or throwing quotes around she just decided to be who she was.

"Today we gained the best news possible, Saren Arterius is now a rogue Spectre. The council, for once in their lives, had to admit they were wrong. From their admission we now take the fight to the bastard that killed one of our own, Corporal Jenkins as well as those by the Geth on Eden Prime."

Every head aboard the ship was bowed in silence, remembering the fallen. Some had made friends with Jenkins before his passing. Others felt the urgency to protect their own since they had families on colonies just like Eden Prime. Shepard was hitting home with every word.

"We fight for the dead, the families still preparing new spaces for those deceased as well as the rest of the galaxy, because those are the stakes. This effort is being taken by so many other species but now it is time for humanity to play our part. Eden Prime was a human colony, and it only makes sense we would fight on for them, and for the rest of humanity as well. So now we move on to take the fight to that son of a bitch and the rest of his Geth army! Who's with me!"

From all over the ship shouts and cheers erupted. Deck to deck joined in, fully Wrex even beat his chest in respect for the borderline Krogan style speech she just gave. Arthur nodded in approval, finally ready to move on to something new instead of Sticking around the Citadel.

"Where to Commander?" Joker asked.

"Hmm, let me think on it over on the map. I'll let you know when and where we need to go." She replied turning as she spoke.

"Aye aye."

Shepard stomped on by as Arthur almost fell back to move out of the way, drawing a glare from the commander. By the time she made it to the galaxy map Arthur was on his way down to the hangar. He would rather not be a candidate to be the commander's next punching bag. He grumbled as the elevator slowly made its way down, no music or anything.

"We have advanced warships, galactic communications, space travel, and this is the best the Alliance can do? Wow." He laughed.

Slowly but surely it reached the hangar, even the door was faster than the lift. Looking around he saw Wrex leaning against a wall, just minding his own business. Ashley, or at least that's what he thought he heard her name was, had a rifle apart on the table in front of her. At first he thought she might be the quartermaster until he saw a human off to the side bringing some weapons cases in. One thing he hopes for was access to better weapons with a Spectre aboard.

Arthur turned through the doorway leading to a massive chamber before him. The engine rooms aboard most Alliance ships were nowhere near as advanced as the room before him. He never once tried to operate as an engineer before, so trying to understand everything on the consoles was like trying to make him calculate quantum physics.

Just as he stepped closer to the consoles Tali checked on a monitor off to her right. Quickly she turned back to her console to make herself look busy while the only non-technical member of the crew leaned against the railing. He looked over at the Quarian with a smile on his face.

"Of all the Alliance ships I've been on, this one has to be the most interesting."

"How so?" She replied, pretending to work.

"For such a small ship it has a crazy design to it, nothing like I'm used to. Take the elevator for instance. We have all the advanced technology we have at our fingertips and we still have a slow ass elevator aboard the ship."

Tali snickered at his comment, widening the smile already on his face. "I mean seriously, I'm not an engineer or a ship salesman, but this is the best a partnership with the Turians can do?"

"So your only complaint is the elevator?" She asked.

"Yeah...that and being tossed like a rag doll by the commander. I think she doesn't care too much for me."

"And what would suggest that?"

Arthur turned around and leaned back against the railing, reallly allowing the glow from the engine to shine off his silver hair. Tali took notice looking back and forth between the console and him every now and then.

"I dunno, maybe it's because I mentioned about her service on Torfan. Do you think she might have taken it the wrong way? I mean, she's got a hard ass mentality, you don't think..."

"I think you might have just pissed her off." Engineer Adams chimed in.

"But why though? I thought she bragged about the battle." Arthur replied.

"Look kid, Shepard's been with us for some time now and she rarely brought it up before. I'm no psychiatrist but I don't think she likes to remember it at all. Think Dr. Chakwas could give you a better explanation than I could...then again she does have to keep everything she talks about confidential."

Obviously not what Arthur wanted to hear, but at least he knew something about Shepard. After his service on Elysium he never heard any of the details about Torfan, other than the troops being behind it. When the news came, everybody was onboard. None of them shed a tear whenever a Batarian was taken down a notch since they had seen so many.

There was a part of him which worried over the sentiment. Anti-alien feelings led to so many of his number joining the Terra Firma party, which he almost joined at one point. All of their slogans, their rhetoric sounded great to any Alliance soldier, but underneath it all was whole new darkness.

(Years ago...)

Command decided they should take their shore leave on Terra Nova. After Elysium they needed the rest, especially since another unit had been sent out to garrison the colony. Many of the troops were grateful, especially those who lost comrades.

The doctors aboard the ship did everything they could, but some of the men in Arthur's unit were given honorable discharges. Arthur however wanted to continue, but was told that could never happen. He received one of the highest honors an alliance soldier could receive, even after such an injury.

"Hey Toa." Arthur said as he waved.

"Hey Toa? I know you got that medal and a promotion, but rank and file matters anywhere." The Lieutenant replied.

Both stood there for a moment before bursting into laughter. Arthur held his chest as the pain slowly came back, shedding a tear or two for more than one reason. As soon as the lieutenant saw the signs he decided to tone everything down.

"It's all good Sergeant-Major. Say, have you heard where everybody else is?"

Arthur took a few breaths before he replied. "I heard Sakura and the engineers were looking for a bar downtown. Mathis and the others went with them. Think they might be getting ready for that contest they promised."

"Hah! You and I both know Mathis is going down! For such a small woman, Sakura can hold her own. On a more serious note, I heard down the chain of command that there's supposed to be a Terra Firma rally downtown. All soldiers get in free if you wanna come along."

He had to ponder on it for a moment. Some of the men had told him about their political leanings and the Terra Firma party came up every now and then. None of the people in his unit shared any love for aliens since some had family on Shanxi when the Turians came in and Elysium of course.

Every time he had met an alien he never had the greatest experience, especially around "fringe heads". He would try and talk to them and they would see the uniform. All it would take is one look and they became hostile, then again he saw that with many outside the uniform as well.

"You know what, count me in Toa. It's about time I cared about the galaxy around me."

"Right on Art!"

Throughout the day they went around from place to place, trying to track down as many of their unit as possible. Once they had a platoons worth of soldiers they went to the meeting place where the rally was held, right out in the open. There was already a mass gathering of people there from all sorts of backgrounds.

When they walked up to the security desk in uniform, the guards smiled at them. "It's good to see some heroes stop by. Say are you all attending?"

One by one whoops and hollers echoed throughout the loose formation they made. The guards never even hassled them once they made it through the checkpoint. The same could not be said for the Turian couple that was asking about what the commotion was all about and was just as quickly turned away.

They tried to work their way into the already bustling crowd before them and received a much needed welcome. People were able to note who their unit was and where they went, as well as some of the guards who passed the information to the speaker backstage. He immediately took notice of who else would be in his audience and amended the speech.

Every now and then someone would reach out a hand to shake one of theirs, pat them on the back, thank them for their service. One of the graying members of the crowd even saluted them as they went by, a couple of service medals pinned on his chest. Never had they come across a group so caring in their time of service.

Now at the front they waited patiently as an older man walked out to greet everybody. His hair was slowly falling out but he made the best of what he had left on the sides. The years had not been kind to him, but the smile on his face said otherwise.

"Welcome everyone! I am appreciative to see such an audience before me." He started as the crowd cheered. "I would be lying if I said I was the speaker today, but that right is reserved for the next person coming up to the stage. Please give a warm welcome to Charles Saracino!"

Immediately the crowd erupted into a roar of applause. Arthur never expected to see such a reaction to one person before, then again the crowd seemed to be like minded. What he had heard of Terra Firma there were two leaders vying for power, Saracino and Menneau, but that was years ago.

Now there stood a man with confidence and a certain swagger about him standing on the stage. The other stepped off to the side eventually getting off stage. Now all of the attention rested on Saracino.

"Every day is great when humanity recognizes a need for something greater, better than what we have right now. I thank you all for making that statement by attending this rally. As a united people we must stand firm!" He stated shaking a clenched fist.

"We must stand firm just as many have throughout this crowd and as these great men and women have that are standing right here in front of me. Their unit bravely fought back against the pirates and more importantly the Batarians slavers seeking to pillage, rape, and conquer Elysium!"

This time it was Arthur's turn to cheer. Of all the times he had heard Alliance parliamentary talks or anybody at the top of the brass it was always boring. Nobody wanted to admit the truth of the matter or step on toes, which was what this speaker was hitting on.

Everybody at home gets the clean cut copy journalism which never touches on the hard facts or realities. The people he fought always wanted more, and would not stop at Elysium if they had their way. Humanity needed to fight back, it needed teeth more than the Alliance.

As soon as the crowd died down he began again. "We are grateful for what you do, which is more than I could say. The sights they've seen are far worse than others will, as well as those who have also suffered at the hands of Batarian slavers. Do any of you remember hearing about Mindoir?"

A slight mumbling came over the crowd as the elderly soldier from earlier piped up. "Absolutely! They treated our people like animals just like they did on Shanxi!" The crowd erupted again as he uttered the last word.

"Indeed sir, and thank you for your service. Tell me, where did you last serve?" Saracino asked.

"I was a commanding officer in the Alliance unit which stopped a band of slavers on Mindoir. What I saw was atrocious. The more disturbing factor was the council's reaction to it all. They blamed us for putting a colony out there in the first place, the bastards! I bet the Turian Councilor was more than happy to give that statement!"

Saracino had to work the crowd to get them back under control. "And you are right to be angry with them! The council could not care less about humanity and they show their distaste for us every day. We had every right to settle Mindoir just as they had to settle their own colonies and their comments show their ignorance. You see, this is why we as humanity have to stand strong, to stand firm. We must be united as a species against alien interests and intervention in government affairs and colonial prospects! Remember Shanxi, remember Elysium, remember Mindoir!"

Arthur remembered the crowds cheers. Everybody remembered Shanxi, not a single human in the crowd could forget it. Neither could he when he applied to be an active member of the party himself, shaking Saracino's hand afterwards. It would only be a short time later when he realized just how wrong he was when he started his career as a bodyguard and met a certain Asari.

(Present day...)

As they were talking the ship had gone on from the Citadel now heading towards Therum. On any other Alliance ship he would have been able to tell when they left, but the smooth operation of Normandy left him at odds. The ship was not just built for stealth, but comfort apparently.

"Listen, Arthur can we talk about something important?" Tali asked, now stepping away from the console.

"Sure what?"

"How are you able to...Keelah, so much has happened in the past few days and I don't know how you're managing everything. You lost the love of your life, not even a day ago..."

"What are you saying?" He interrupted, a slight twitch in his eye.

"I'm just saying you need to speak to somebody, talk about everything with them and don't hold back."

"Well I am talking to someone right now aren't I?" He said with a grin.

Underneath her mask she was glad she could hide the blush that came across her face. Everything about what he says does struck a cord in her, but there was also an unwelcome feeling. Did he just make a pass at her? Why would somebody in their right mind do something like that?

"Arthur, please talk to Dr. Chakwas, get an evaluation..."

"Tali I understand your concern but..."

"But nothing! I looked up the medication you're taking and it only helps with your nerves, it calms you down. You need to be seen by a professional before you can go out on a mission with us."

"Tali..."

"No! Don't be a bosh'tet! You may have learned to put your feelings aside in the Alliance, but you can't do that forever. Hurting yourself is not the solution to moving on damn it! I was left in charge of you, and I'm not going to standby and watch you crumble to pieces, especially when the galaxy is at stake! Please Arthur, just go see the doctor and talk to her."

"I really don't know how this conversation all started, but...I guess I'll go see the doctor." He replied.

As he got off the railing Tali looked down at the spot where he was. The metals used were not made from cheap material and there was a hand shaped indention where he was leaning. She could shake her head in worry, just wondering what exactly she signed up for by helping him out. After all, she nearly killed him right after she made the promise to.

On the other side of it, Arthur was not at all pleased about this. Another ride on the elevator was about as entertaining as a lecture on astrophysics by an Elcor. Once the elevator reached the top floor, Shepard was standing on the other side of the door. Arthur took little note of it and bumped into her on the way out.

"Watch it!" She yelled, biotic fields glowing around her body.

"Apologies Commander, I'm sorry about..."

Getting close to him she shoved a fist in his face, the glow now shining off of him. "Sorry? You haven't been on this ship for long and you've already managed to piss me off more than once. I'm not going to repeat myself but keep away from me if you know what's best for you."

No hesitation, she stomped into the elevator, keeping her eyes on him the entire time. Once the door shut he breathed a sigh of relief. Guess he had an answer on how the commander really felt about him.

Taking his time as he walked over to the medbay he noticed all of the heads turning. Whispers always followed but silence ensued. The door to the medbay could not have opened any faster than it did.

The good doctor was sitting at her desk typing away as he came in. He could hear people talk once again as the door shut behind him, there could only be one guess on what the topic was. Doctor Chakwas briefly looked up from her console to see Arthur coming in.

"Hello Mr. Quinn I believe it is. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He was apprehensive at first, wringing his hands as he sat down on the closest bed. "I uh...This is awkward...how many patients have you ever just talked to?"

The statement confused her. "Just talked to? Mr. Quinn, I consult all of my patients, how else would I..."

"No doctor, I mean 'talked' to before. I need someone to talk to apparently." He said with a shrug.

"I see. I can help you if that's what you're asking. During my times in college I studied on the elements of the human mind and what all they entail."

Standing up from her desk she walked over to the bed next to his and took a seat. He was still apprehensive about it all, thinking back to what Tali brought up about him. Even so the doctor began what would hopefully be a healing session of many.

"So where would you like to start?"

Arthur ran a hand through his hair as he leaned back. "I think I'm a terrible person."

"I don't believe that at all Mr. Quinn. What makes you think so?"

"I've been dealing with a condition for some time now and it's been changing everything about me. Nothing I say comes out right, I try to help people and I end up hurting them. Hell, I even come off like the coldest bastard who ever lived. Life becomes so easy to throw away it just comes to me like second nature." He replied, a hitch in his breathing.

"What you just stated right there is what I have spotted from so many others who have seen battle. Tell me, when did all of this start?"

"It started small after the Skyllian Blitz and only got worse when I went off to help an old friend." He said with a slight twitch.

The doctor took a moment to take note of it and the slight trembling in his right hand. "Were you not treated after your service?"

Taking in a deep breath he slowly let himself down, now flat on he bed. "They did, I mean if telling you to pop pills for as long as you could counts."

"Really?" Chakwas replied, shocked by the answer. "I would never imagine such a scenario. Everything you just described sounds like language from a Terra Firma pamphlet, goodness. There is always the time needed to heal not just physically but mentally. They should have taken the time and effort to do so."

"That's the thing doc, they thought I was fine because I exhibited no visible signs of PTSD for the time being. I never really showed any signs until I started my work as a mercenary."

"Interesting." She said as she took more notes. "Could you tell me why this happened?"

Closing his eyes he tried to focus on the first time when it happened. "It all started after we split up. Me and my team were on the trail of a tough Cerberus scientist named Ahman Al-Saddir. We tracked him to a privately owned station between earth and Luna then blew up said station and him, or so we thought."

"Hold on. You were responsible for the destruction of Manchester station?" She asked dumbfounded, and all he could respond with was a nod. "Many people died on that station...many civilians."

"I know." He said after took a deep breath. "Alliance authorities were on a manhunt for us and that's why my team split. It was just me and a Quarian I had become pretty close with and...and never should have."

The doctor was about to ask another question before he curled up into a ball. She simply typed in everything he said along with her observations, just sitting there with him. Even though she did not want to continue she knew that if he was going to heal he needed to vent everything. More pain would come from keeping it bottled up.

"Why do you say you regret it?" She asked as calm as she could.

"I-I don't..."

"I'm sorry what did you say?"

"Can we uh...can we talk about this at another time? I just need to get a breath of fresh air I think."

Looking around the bay she shook her head. "Arthur, we're still in space. I can see you're apprehensive about the subject but you need to tell me what the issue is so we can both resolve it together. I believe you Arthur."

"Ok doc." He said bolting up from where he lay. "You wanted everything right? Well where do I start?I cheated on the woman I swore my life to because I thought she didn't care anymore. I only found out later the Quarian I was teamed with was blocking our messages the entire time. As she got into my head I just forgot about Viza, left her and my child behind. We got so close...too close and when Al-Saddir came back from the dead he did unspeakable things to her." As he finished he had his hands locked together over his head, pain in his face.

"Arthur..." she started and soon stopped as she heard a noise outside.

Just then the door opened. Kaidan walked in with a hand on his head as both looked over at him. He leaned against the wall as he walked right past them, causing Chakwas to get up and respond. Arthur saw it as a chance to possibly get out as he quietly sneaked it of the medbay, causing the doctor to glance back at him before the door shut.

Away from the concerned eyes of the doctor, and others he fell back against the wall outside. Shivering as he fell to the floor he tried to hide it, but he was sweating again. The room temperature shot up as he sifted through his pockets, eventually finding the pill bottle. Trembling fingers were able to grapple onto a single capsule, popping it in his mouth before leaning back in rest.

" _So when are you going to mention about what happened to me handsome?_ " A voice next to him called.

Knowing who or what was calling him did not stop him from turning his head. Right as he peered at the "figure" next to him he quickly shut his eyes. Her face came closer to his, breathing but not leaving any signs of life on his face.

" _Tell her everything and your worst nightmares come back. You're never going to leave me Arthur, because you're all mine._ "

"No..."

" _What did you say bitch?_ " She replied

"I said you don't control me anymore. You've ruined my life for too long now." He said, burying his head in his hands.

" _Nows your chance hero...tell her how you saved me._ " She replied, kissing his cheek through the massive hole in her mask.

This time he felt the left side of his face go cold. Jumping from his spot he ran over to the door and went back inside. Kaiden was still downing some water when Arthur walked up to the confused doctor and wrapped his arms around her. Alenko had no idea what was going on, more so when the grown man in front of him started breaking out in tears.

"Um, thank you again doctor Chakwas. I'll let you know if the headache gets worse." He said as he walked away, concern on his face.

"Arthur, are you all right?"

"No." He replied burying his face in her shoulder. "I'm not right at all."

"Let me lock the door this time. I believe Lieutenant Alenko's sudden entrance threw our time together off. So now, let's continue on shall we...that is, if you wish to?"

"And I do, I think it's about time I told what happened."

(Many months ago...)

Their ship was small enough to carry the two of them. All of their intentions were to keep everything contained and private, just like their relationship. It had been three weeks since they blew up Manchester Station and they were on their way home, or what home would be.

Arthur would have felt more troubled if it weren't for the Quarian sleeping in the copilots chair. Every now and then she would shift in her sleep and the man in the pilots seat would check on her. The worry came from the close bond they had, which had been cemented since the mission was over. They would go off to some far off colony and settle somewhere on the side of a mountain, living the rest of their lives in peace.

They had the money to go anywhere and do anything, at least that's what he promised. Their ship was approaching the relay when the proximity alarms went off. Kinja woke up from her nap scrambling around until she finally got her bearings.

"What is that?" Kinja yelled.

"It's the proximity alarms, somethings setting them off."

"But what? I don't see anything on the scan..."

Before she could finish her words a frigate materialized out of nowhere in front of them. Arthur jerked the controls to fly away when shots flew past the ship. As he turned a few stray shots hit the rear, causing more alarms to go off all aboard the vessel.

"Engines are down!" Kinja yelled.

"I know!" Arthur shouted back.

More impacts hit the back end of the ship. Kinja reached over to Arthur with one free hand trying to pull him out of his seat to no avail. Catching a whiff of smoke through her olfactory sensors she began to panic.

"We need to go, now!" She yelled as she finally pried him away from the controls.

Running with her he ran into the already open pod. Arthur hit the emergency seal and shot the pod way from the burning vessel. He looked back through the viewport as the rounds coming from the frigate hit the engine core.

"GET DOWN!" He yelled as he cradled Kinja in his arms.

The intial shockwave split the ship open, now it was the following explosion that knocked the pod off course. As the pod was thrown around so were they all around the inside. Eventually everything went black, the nightmare had just begun.

(Some time later...)

"Hello Arthur." A familiar voice called to him.

Arthur could barely open his eyes, everything hurt. What he could see was himself...in a mirror. The light was just bright enough to give him a slight headache and still illuminate the room.

Inside the room all of the floors and walls were white. For a moment he thought it was what people were talking about when they meant "the other side", but the shackles holding his arms and legs in place told him otherwise. Looking back at himself he could see cuts and bruises all over his face and chest.

"Ah yes, you got pretty banged up in that explosion now didn't you? Poor little Quinn." The voice came back.

"Wait...AL-SADDIR!" Arthur yelled back, pulling at his restraints.

Laughter echoed around the room as the speaker came on again. "Oh you fool, you ignoramus! So you do remember me? Hah! Here I thought I would need to jog your memory but I see that it is no longer necessary, so let's skip to the monologue shall we?"

Silence filled the room as the mirror in front of him projected the image of a man with bandages covering all over. Arthur grinned from ear to ear as he recognized the eyes of the one on the table. Unlike him, Al-Saddir did not share the same smile.

"Son of a bitch. We detonated the fusion core of a space station and you're still alive. Damn it." He said with a laugh.

"Indeed Mr. Quinn, I was horribly disfigured from the nuclear fires. The scarring is said to be permanent, maybe beyond anything in my budget to repair for now, but that matters not. Alliance investigators were very thorough in their research, especially when they came across your employer. Let's just say he's enjoying the same rest your former squad mates will be soon to get."

"And what about me you crazy bastard?"

More laughter followed. "Oh I have something special in store for you, something I came up with on a whim. I do think you will enjoy it."

The screen in front of him went back to being a mirror. Then the mirror faded away revealing another room. It was all pitch black until the lights went out in his room, revealing a telling scene in front of him as the lights came on across.

"No...NO!!!!! What the fuck is this!" He yelled, thrashing against the restraints, to no avail.

Men in hazmat suits walked about the room, hooking up tubes to the Quarian in front of them. She shook her head, trying to break away from the imprisonment and watched as more tubes were hooked up to her suit. Arthur continued to pull away at the restraints, hoping something anything would come loose, only to hear a mad scientist laugh over the speakers.

"It hurts doesn't it? Not knowing what happens next? My own family thought I was dead Arthur. My own FAMILY!" He yelled in the mic. "Dwelling on the thought made me wonder what if you felt the same pain? What if I could make you feel how my loved ones felt? My wife Min, who was killed by the blast which spared me will be avenged! Watch!"

He wanted to avert his eyes but watched as gasses flooded the tubes, making their way into Kinja's suit. Arthur watched in pain himself as her suit failed to seal off the foreign substances. The sound from the other room was piped in, loud enough to ingrain itself in his mind as Kinja went into a coughing fit.

"Aw it sounds like the poor girl needs some air. Why don't we let the her breathe? Hehehehehehehehehehe...hahahahahahaha!"

"STOP, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP!" Arthur yelled to no avail as one of the men in hazmats took an chisel and a hammer, slowly applying force on the center of her mask.

Her eyes opened and closed at all the sensations coming in at once, the hammering, the gas it was too much. Then once the chisel broke through her lungs lit ablaze, or so it felt. Coughing fits turned into fights for air, which did little to help too. Before she knew it she was coughing up large amounts of blood, all of which was also filling up her lungs.

Arthur broke down in tears as Kinja spat blood out from her mask, onto the floor. The only time he got to see her face and she was dying before him. He tried to reach out to her, and fell back as he watched her head drop...everything stopped.

"The gases created a reaction within her lungs, causing them to burn through. Of course my wife suffered little when she died. The recovery teams could barely identify her if it wasn't for the beacon I placed in her necklace. You know you should be grateful Quinn. I granted her he the least amount of suffering that any of your former teammates will receive. Consider it a mercy from me."

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" Arthur yelled thrashing against the chains. "YOU'RE GONNA BE JOINING YOUR BITCH IN HELL!"

A final laugh sounded over the PA system. "You can try Quinn, you can try, but you will fail, or flail around in your current circumstance. Goodbye Quinn it has been oh so entertaining, but I have a revenge tour to complete."

(Present day...)

"Incredible...absolutely incredible. How did you even manage to escape?" She asked out of genuine curiosity. Yes

"It would put the 'Great Escape' to shame. Every time the guards came in they would loosen the restraints so I could sit and eat. They made me watch Kinja die on the screen again and again, and when they weren't paying attention I found a way to loosen the restraints...I can't even remember how many people I killed. I just saw red and slaughtered everything in sight." He replied, looking down at his hands.

"And Kinja?"

He slowly looked over to his right, staring at the wall, maybe expecting to see _her_ standing there, but she was not. "Buried on Elysium. She was permanently banned from the fleet so she was considered a non-person."

"But why Elysium? Why not on the colony where you two were going to settle?"

"Because Elysium was where I buried my friends. I wanted her to have company wherever she was...even if she did use me."

The doctor shifted in her chair now getting comfortable. "Well Mr. Quinn, you've lived an interesting life thus far. It's obvious you've had some trauma in your life which deeply affected you and I can say for sure something felt different in this end of the conversation than the other."

"Really? And what was that if you don't mind me asking?"

"You never once broke out into a sweat when you started talking about your past. No twitches, no flinching or trembling. It seems our little conversation was healthy for you and goes to show bottling up your nigtmares for later only makes things worse. Believe me when I say this, you are not the only soldier who has come to me without a physical injury that needed treating."

Right as she finished her statement Shepard came in the door rubbing her arm as she came in. Arthur saw the look on her face, different from earlier, vulnerable. Not once did the commander make any eye contact, just a brief acknowledgement of the doctor in front of her.

"Doctor, when are we going to sit down again...hey, what are you doing here?" She said quickly pivoting towards the soldier on the bed.

"Just talking with the doctor commander, that is all." He replied with a salute.

"Really? Tell me doctor, is this soldier cleared for combat or should he stay onboard? I need to know soon because we've arrived at Therum."

Looking down at her omnitool she made a few extra notes, nodding her head in approval. "I believe so, just make sure he visits me after every mission."

The commander looked suspiciously between the two, drawing some conclusions of her own in her head. "Is there a problem Doctor? If so then he needs to stay aboard the ship."

Arthur looked over at the good doctor who just winked at him. "I cannot tell you without his permission, if that is all right with him."

Shifting her gaze over at Arthur nodded back. Though his mind he was running through every kind of situation that would play out when Chakwas told the commander everything. Before his mind went any further she reached back into a drawer pulling out a small box with some unpronounceable label.

"He has a rash commander. There is some slight irritation that this cream will help with. I'll need to see him again since it's hard to view from a mirror."

"Oh." The commander simply replied, face turning more red than the hair on her head. "Well, send him down when you can. We're loading up the mako for a drop."

Shepard stormed out of the room before she got any more involved with the embarrassment. Chakwas chuckled as she looked down at the box, opening one end to show the empty space inside. Both could not believe how they fooled the commander.

"A rash? Really?" He asked, not even serious.

"Well that's definitely better than telling her what you have and simply being dropped back off at the Citadel. Don't you agree?" She replied, putting the box back in the drawer.


	7. Chapter 7: Turning up the Therumometer

Decelerating through the atmosphere the Normandy came soaring down towards the closest drop site. The bay opened up, sucking in the hot air from the lava pools below. Shepard smashed the icon keeping the mako attached to the ship, sending the combat rover overboard.

Smaller jets on the bottom of the craft slowed down the descent, but gravity was still ever present. Once the tires touched down on the rocky surface below everybody inside was thrown around the confines of their seats. Arthur had a laugh at Garrus' expense as the Turian had his eyes shut the whole way down.

"Ok Arthur, you're on the turret, so keep an eye out for Geth. Garrus you're keeping an eye out for potholes and lava."

"Understood commander." Arthur answered as he he shifted his seat towards the controls.

Looking through he sights in front of him, the cameras mounted on the cannon gave him a view of the terrain outside. Only problem with being the cannoneer were the bumps. The cannon itself had a gyroscopic stabilizer, which helped with outside movement, but inside the tank his face was taking a pounding.

Shepard made a hard turn around a small lava pool, lurching the rover to one side. They could hear the jets outside working to rebalance the craft. Reaching a straightaway she stomped on the gas pedal, throwing dirt everywhere as well as the outside cameras.

They came over a hill when they felt the entire tank rattle. Garrus checked the radar screen for a moment and sat back in his seat when a Geth dropship soared above at breakneck speeds, slowing down just enough to drop something off. With a press of a button Arthur loaded the main gun, licking his lips as he locked onto the its optics.

"Let's see how you like this!" He yelled as he fired the main cannon, shot bouncing off its shields.

"I think it didn't like your present. Try taking down its kinetic barriers!" Garrus shot back.

Squeezing the trigger in his left hand a smaller turret let loose a torrent of fire, peppering the Geth's shields. Arthur carefully watched for the sign around the Geth and squeezed his other hand to send the armature to the scrapyard. Bolts of plasma blasted in every direction as the machine collapsed to the ground.

"Hell yeah!" Shepard yelled as she drove past its corpse.

"That was fun." Arthur replied.

Up a hill the rover bounced as it hit more cracks in the all-natural roadway. Garrus looked down again at the radar screen keeping an eye out for any more Geth as Shepard throttled them towards a sealed gate. All momentum shifted when rockets started flying from a previously immobile turret as well as a few Geth firing out of a few windows.

"Hang on!" Shepard yelled as she switched gears, gunning the pedal in reverse.

The turret swiveled to meet the turret in front of them and whittled away at its shields. Once they broke the cannon belched fire, and soon enough the Geth turret was as well. Turning right this time the commander took them down a new path, maybe one with less turrets, she was mistaken.

"I've got it!" Arthur stated as he opened fire in the turret ahead.

This time he was using both functions, completely annihilating the turret, but overheating theirs. So as they ran through a group of crates they ran into another Geth ambush. Arthur cursed silently as the heat bar kept the anti-personnel canon locked down. Shepard saw the signs and decided to test the integrity of the armor.

With one hand on the emergency brake she whipped the mobile tank around, running Geth over with ease. She might have been getting a little bit of enjoyment out of it too as she licked her lips. Garrus held onto the arms of his seat for dear life as the mako ran over a Geth hunter. The vessel lurched up and down, a little more than he wanted.

"Finally!" Arthur proclaimed as he started firing at the scattered Geth all around them.

By the time the dust settled, Geth lay everywhere. Arthur stayed on the turret as Shepard and Garrus ran over to the other gatehouse. He sat and waited with the turret aimed at the doorway just in case. Both ran in, guns blazing. Sounds of explosions could be picked up from the cameras mounted on the mako, as well as the silence that followed.

Worry nearly settled in on the cannoneer until the gate slowly came down. A triumphant commander walked out, wiping Geth fluid off of her armor. They rushed back to the mako as fast as they could, slamming the bulkhead shut when they came back in.

Shepard never even buckled in as she slammed her foot down on the pedal again, kicking dirt in every direction. The rover shot over another hill, coming up on a massive lava lake. It took so long until they came under fire again.

Arthur swiveled the gun around, working each Armature's shields down until he could open up with the main gun. Every now and then they nearly toppled over when shots were sent across the lava lake, but Shepard did not care. Geth dropped from a distance away and that is all she wanted.

"Having fun back there?" Shepard called back.

"Fuck yeah commander! I mean...damn it." He yelled back hitting the console.

"Don't have too much fun now." Garrus added, right before they hit another crater. "We should be coming close to a tunnel commander."

"Got it..."

"Commander, there's something large blocking the way up ahead!" Garrus interjected.

Shepard squinted her eyes as they came over the hill, seeing a few Geth scattered around. What caught her off guard was the plasma charge that slammed into the side of the mako. The impact tossed the tank against the closest rock wall, rattling everything and everyone inside. As tight of a grip as she had even Shepard let go of the controls.

" _Balancing..._ " a monotone voice repeated over the sound system.

Internal programming made sure the tank was back on its wheels. Jets swept the mako back up, but the same could not be said for everybody inside. Arthur and Garrus were still picking themselves back up as Shepard frantically regained the controls, throttle into the engine.

"Quinn, you better be fucking ready to shoot at whatever just took a cheap shot at us!" She yelled looking back at the gunner.

"Aye aye commander! I've got it in si...whoa." He stopped just short as he saw the Geth colossus charging up another shot.

"Incoming!" Garrus yelled.

"I know!" Shepard fires back.

Right outside the main gun was working away at the shields, just bringing it down to half health when the rapid fire function overheated. The mako swerved to dodge another blast, flattening a Geth hunter in the process. Whittling down the shields just a bit more Arthur took a shot at its optics. He hoped the shielding, or what was left of it, would be too weak to block anything.

"Direct hit!" Arthur cheered.

Sparks flew out of the gaping hole where the colossus once fired from, collapsing on itself. Shepard turned the wheel to drive around the newly made pile of scrap, taking them up a ramp. As soon as the got in, she leaned back in her seat.

"Just how close are we to her location?" Shepard asked, stretching in place.

"We're not far off Shepard, another lake, a tunnel, and we should be there." Garrus replied.

"So between one and ten, how would you rate that firefight?" Arthur asked with a grin.

"How about fuck you and just watch out for Geth?" She fired back, briefly turning towards the gunner with the meanest look she could give.

Choosing to stay silent the rest of the way there might have been the best idea for him. Shepard was never one to get too friendly with those she fought with. Getting friendly could get in the way of the mission, the battle, and most importantly the enemy. She learned all too well about not getting too attached from Torfan.

Almost going airborne down the hill the mako crushed both of the Geth lying in wait. Arthur never fired a single shot, now letting go of the turret controls and setting the gun to auto-stabilize. He looked down at his omnitool and saw a message pop up. Looking ahead all he saw was rock and lava, with a tunnel in the distance. Since there was no immediate threat he decided to check on the message, update, whatever it was. He typed in a few commands to open the chat and probe away at the sender.

AQ: Who is this?

AQ: Is this Galu?

?: Maybe, maybe not. Would it make you angrier if you found it to be anyone else?

AQ: ... Who are you and what do you want?

?: To be quite frank, I want you. You've wronged me and sometime soon it will be time to pay up, with your life if need be.

AQ: I still need to know who this is, I'm not responding any further until I get the response I want! Now tell me who is this messaging me?

?: Someone with a particular set of skills, maybe a chip on their shoulder.

AQ: Saren? You sent your agents to kill me after all.

?: Nice try but no, guess again.

AQ:... Al-Saddir?

?: No, but for your information he's not who you should be truly concerned about.

AQ: Enough with the threats. Who are you! Last warning!

(Connection terminated)

"Damn it!" Arthur yelled as he closed the app away.

"What the hell is that all about?" Shepard commanded.

"Some asshole I don't know making threats through a messenger app." He shot back.

"Ok, first off lose the fucking attitude. Second, why the hell do you have your omnitool open for something other than combat purposes? We're out in the field Quinn and I need you to man the damn gun! Get your head out of your ass!"

"Aye aye." He replied.

Reaching the other side of the tunnel two Geth stood behind cover, rocket launchers at the ready. Right as the mako shot out of the other side they jumped out in the open, letting loose a barrage of firepower. Arthur saw the two and aimed down the sights, getting ready to take them down when the commander throttled the engine.

Garrus and Arthur fell back in their seats while the commander licked her lips as they ran over the synthetics. Shepard hollered as the last wheels snuffed the sparks from their optics. Her little celebration was cut short when they came across a dead end and a path too small for the tank.

Slamming on the brakes she drew the tank to a stop, throwing the other two aboard forward out of their seats. The commander looked around at three other two shaking her head as she reached for her her helmet under the seat and pistol overhead. Everyone else did the same, following the commander out the side, exposing the inside once more to the hot air.

"This place seems like a real nice vacation spot, we should come back Shepard." Garrus chimed in.

"Can it Vakarian. We don't know what's on the other side and I need full concentration." Shepard replied, causing Arthur to snicker.

The signal was given to move ahead and each drew their weapons. One at a time they went through the opening, scanning the rocky ridges for any signs of Geth. They piled up at the closest group of rocks waiting for the go ahead. Looking around their position Shepard gave them the signal.

"Seems kind of suspicious the Geth aren't moving in force around here. We're practically at the mine." Arthur stated.

Those few words caused the commander to tense up, not from anxiety but from muscle memory. She wished the sensations would go away, all of the premonitions of what may be up ahead. Hope for the best was what always let her down on Torfan, and right now the very same applied to here.

"Contact spotted!" Garrus yelled.

Everyone went to cover as Geth came swarming down the hill. Bolts of energy flew from the squad of synthetics up ahead, keeping their heads pinned down. The commander cursed silently as she tried to gain a grasp of the situation.

Arthur breifly peeked from behind their cover taking aim at a Geth trooper off to the side. With steady aim and a few trigger pulls it fell back on its heels, clutching the hole in its chest. Garrus followed up with an overload on another off to the side, causing its optics to flicker. He too took a few shots at it sending the trooper down to the ground.

Looking around Shepard saw everyone else taking the initiative and primed a grenade in her free hand. Just taking a peek over the rocks through rounds of Geth fire she picked the best spot to throw it at and chucked the explosive their way. All three of the remaining Geth stopped firing and watched as it landed before them, right before they were disintegrated. Parts went flying everywhere as she pumped her fist.

"They're down and out right now, push it!" She yelled.

Both Arthur and Garrus went charging up the hill as the commander hopped over the rock. Each made it up the hill taking cover where they could as more Geth fire came pouring from the area up ahead. Shepard barely made it as a Geth sniper took down her kinetic barriers from afar.

"Shit!" Arthur yelled. "Did it go through your armor?"

The commander shook her head, still trying to catch her breath. "No! Don't worry about me right now and start firing on those snipers dammit!"

Garrus was first to respond putting his auto rifle away for something more precise. Down the scope which just popped out he saw an optic each staring down at them from the towers on the hills above. A simple squeeze of the trigger took out the one on the highest ridge whereas the other was quick to respond. Just as he went to take another shot he was sent back into cover by a close call.

On the other side Arthur decided to deploy something of his own. He waited as a couple of Geth troopers came charging up the hill guns blazing. Shepard took out the first one as it came it came up and stopped as the other froze in place, quickly turning around and sending shots towards the other Geth down the hill.

In the confusion the saboteur ran down behind his borrowed squadmate and used it for cover as he took a few shots at the tower off to his right. Sliding down towards a rock he fired a few shots off at the tower, dropping the sniper perched up on high. Garrus never hesitated a moment longer as he came charging behind Arthur, firing shots off toward the Geth above.

Shepard stayed back with a sniper rifle now at the ready, shaking her head at the display. Scoping in on the ridge above she fired in on the first Geth in her sights, sending sparks out the other side as it dropped. Waiting until the right moment came she too ran up with the rest of the squad moving towards a nice sized boulder off to the side.

More fire came down from up above, sending the once controlled Geth below to the ground. Seeing another opportunity, Shepard charged her biotics, focusing on the Geth destroyer coming down the hill. With the power of her mind and much more she lifted the synthetic up in the air with the greatest of ease, making it an easy target.

The entire squad ripped the Geth apart, sending bits and pieces everywhere. Once Garrus threw an overload at the trooper on the ridge everything stopped. A powerless shell fell before them, dropping its rifle as well.

Area now clear, Shepard called on the other two to follow her up the hill. On their way they stepped over a few deactivated Geth. Parts lay everywhere as well as whatever fluid the Geth used, maybe blood.

"Damn Quinn, what did you use on that Geth earlier?" Garrus asked.

"Well...I've used it before on mechs so I thought it might work on the Geth since they seem to operate the same way." He replied checking the sights on his rifle.

Not even looking ahead he accidentally bumped into the commander, standing back and facing him. "First you check your omnitool messages in a combat area like a damn teenager, then you pull that theatrical bullshit back there because it worked on a mech? Are you fucking stupid!? You could have gotten us killed!" She yelled, punching him in the chest with a little biotic help.

Arthur fell flat on his butt, dropping his rifle off to the side. To say that he was the only one surprised would be a lie, Garrus looked back and forth between the two, puzzled at the sudden outburst. What made everything worse was the following reaction.

Bolting up from where he lay, Arthur's adrenaline kicked in as he picked his rifle up, making sure to aim it at the ground below. Shepard readied her biotics, a grin forming underneath her helmet. The temptation to fight back against her was strong, but he knew better.

"Are you done commander?" Arthur replied, checking his rifle.

Shepard grinned, "Ok Quinn, we'll talk about your field discipline later."

She turned around motioning for the squad to follow her. Not once did she see Quinn telling her how great a commander she was. Garrus rolled his eyes at the two. His first true mission with humans and this is how they acted?

Up ahead was the entrance to the mine, a wide area littered with crates. Catwalks and towers looked over them as they made their way toward the entrance jutting out of the hill. Right as they passed under the first catwalk Shepard held her hand up high enough for everybody to see.

"Did you hear that?" She asked, scanning the area around.

"No, hear what?" Garrus asked.

"The fuck!?" Arthur yelled as he opened fire on a nearby wall.

Everybody scrambled for cover as Geth leaped from the crates all around. None of them had ever seen anything like it, the way he newer Geth latched onto walls and bent in ways an organic never could. No matter what they could do, they would still be gunned down.

Taking out his shotgun, Arthur waited for a certain Geth to come his way. Right when he heard it magnetize itself on the closest wall he sprang from cover and blasted it away. Turning in place he blasted away at another one of the fighters. Flighty as they were, they waited all too long in place to take their shots.

Just as the firefight seemed to be going their way a Geth dropship came soaring out of the clouds. The fire team ran for cover expecting a barrage, only to catch a glimpse of something large dropping down. Dust flew in every direction as they tried to get sights on whatever it was up ahead.

"Anybody got eyes on whatever the Geth just dropped in?!" Shepard yelled.

"I can make out a few soldiers, but that's...Wait I see something else." Garrus replied as he looked down his scope.

Their answer came in a ball of hot energy, blasting away at the pile of boxes Shepard was hiding behind. Arthur started off by hacking the closest Geth unit, sending it on a frenzy against the others. It's efforts only lasted as long as the hack when the Armature blasted it to pieces.

Garrus used the opportunity to land a shot on the Armature's optics. He waited to see it maybe flicker or dim, only to run when it tossed another blast his way. As it refocused itself so did the team, all gathering up behind another pile of crates.

"Our guns aren't making much of a dent in that things shields. We need to come up with something new, we need something heavier." Garrus said, almost out of breath.

"Wish we could bring the Mako up here." Arthur replied.

"I might have an idea. Just give me some covering fire." Shepard replied, glowing brightly.

Both went into action rushing over towards a broken down mining vehicle. They waited for the Armature to fire a blast and then peeled out of cover with their weapons at the ready. Rounds went off into the Geth, making small dents in its shield. None of them looked off to the side to see what the commander was making in the palms of her hands.

Jumping out of cover she let loose a ball of biotic energy. The impact sent the Geth reeling on its hind legs, it's shield now down. Arthur aimed for one of its legs with the commander, at first crippling it then snapping it in half. In the firefight Garrus took aim and fired straight into its optics.

A small explosion came from its head as sparks flew everywhere. The Armature listed from side to side, eventually collapsing into a heap. Dust flew everywhere as they all tried to get a view on the newly made pile of junk. Arthur walked first towards it, rifle at the ready. He was halfway there when he had a stasis field thrown on him.

"And...just...where the hell do you think you're going?" Shepard sorely asked, slowly marching towards him.

"I'm inspecting the Geth just to make..."

"I didn't tell you to move Quinn. You wait for the rest of your squad whether you want to or not!" Shepard fired back.

Arthur sighed as the rest of his squad caught up. The commander simply walked past, pulling out her handgun. Approaching the Geth she aimed it at the head and took a few shots, even kicked it for extra measure.

"Good work Garrus, now let's get into the mine shall we?" She said, shoving her way past an already agitated Quinn.

All three stormed up the ramp, running in as Shepard locked the door behind them. Making her way back up to the front of the group she led the charge into the depths below. The sounds of condensation dripping from the cave ahead filled the tube along with their footfalls. As they closed in on the catwalks however, that all changed.

Sounds of Geth chiming to one another echoed all throughout the tube. Shepard charged ahead with her biotics at the ready, blasting through the closest Geth in front of her. Garrus and Arthur stayed back, allowing the commander to rip everything up ahead while they watched for stragglers.

Right out of her field of view a few rocket drones came up from the lower floors. Arthur watched as one of the leaping Geth from earlier latched on the ceiling above. He set his omnitool to a certain setting, gaining brief control over it.

The Geth dropped from the ceiling latching to the drone and firing away at the flying turret. Eventually it reached a vital compartment at the base of the head, causing it to explode. Parts went flying everywhere. Shrapnel hit the commander's barriers, only making her angrier than she already was. Garrus overloaded one of the drones hovering by the elevator on the other side of the cave. Sparks flew out of it as went down into the cave below, exploding at the bottom.

In a fit of rage Shepard charged her biotics and threw it right at the last one, holding it in place. Then as she held both of her hands out she pushed towards the cave wall, sending it crashing against the rock. Letting go she let parts fall down to the ground below, bouncing off of whatever surfaces there were on the ground.

Suddenly Shepard lost her footing, falling to the ground. Arthur ran up to her first, lending a hand to help her up. Right as he got a grip on her arm she shoved it away, pulling herself up with he help of a nearby crate. He just shook his head as she marched towards the other end of the catwalk, Garrus in tow.

"What are you two doing?" She asked in a demanding tone. "Did I saw that you could go ahead without..."

"Commander the area is secure!" Arthur fired back. "We're merely moving forward to check out the area ahead and this field."

"Did you just fucking talk back to me?!" She shouted back, stomping towards him now.

"Yes ma'am!" Arthur replied. "You might be leading this squad, but it's like my drill told me, can't keep up, then get left behind."

Garrus mumbled something under his breath as he walked closer to the field, not even wanting to take in the carnage that was about to be unleashed behind him. Arthur on the other hand wanted to see the look on her face, see how far he had gotten under her skin. The blue glow surrounding the commander told him just so.

"You know, I don't like subordinates talking shit like you are." She stated poking right in the middle of his chest for emphasis.

Arthur scoffed, "Oh so we're just lackeys now are we? I thought we were a squad of experts, a team."

Grabbing the collar of his armor she brought his face close to hers. "This may be a squad, but it's my squad. In my squad you do what I say when I say it, you don't take a shit unless ordered to. This goes for you too Vakarian!"

The Turian turned around as soon as she brought him up and saluted. Refocusing on Arthur she shoved him away and tried to shove him off to the side. What she never expected was him acting like an immovable object. She tried to shove him out of the way but he still stood right in front of her.

"Look, you may be the one 'leading' the charge against Saren, but I'm not going to listen to a crazy bitch order me around. It's not how I play." He replied with a twitch in his eye. "Stop shoving me and Garrus around like we're nothing and maybe you'll earn some respect."

Turning around he motioned for Garrus to follow him. He looked in between the two for a moment before he followed Arthur into the elevator standing inside as the commander stood in place. Arthur shook his head as he called the commander inside.

"Come on Commander, we've got a doctor to save." He shouted.

It took only a moment before Shepard marched over to the elevator moving inside next to the control panel. Garrus moved as far as he could into the far back corner and stayed quiet as the elevator made its way down. Only the screeching of metal against metal made its voice heard throughout the cavern

Nobody made a move or a sound against one or the other, even when the lift came to a grinding halt. The door crackled and zapped with electricity as it came up. Shepard was first to hop out of the mess followed by the rest of the squad. She pulled out her handgun and surveyed the area ahead, maybe expecting Geth. What they were not expecting were cries from down below.

"Hello? Is anybody out there?! Please I'm stuck in this field!" A voice yelled from below.

One by one they dropped down the broken catwalks, making almost to the ground floor. They all stopped short of an Asari as they saw a field up in front of them. Arthur was the first to test it and waved his omnitool in front of him. He hoped something would happen and tried again.

"I don't think that's going to work but maybe if you keep trying it just might." Shepard said with a grin.

"I could have told you that." The Asari replied. "When the Geth came I panicked and activated the panel behind me. A field came up immediately afterwards, stopping the Geth from coming through... Speaking of which, do you know why they are here beyond the Perseus Veil?"

"We'll need to talk about that later." Arthur replied, switching off his omnitool. "Right now we need to get you out of there miss?"

"Hmm? Oh right! T'Soni, Dr. Liara T'Soni."

Turning away from the struggling doctor Arthur almost ran into Shepard, arms crossed ever so confidently. He just moved around her and towards the catwalk behind, waving his omnitool at a large laser just down from him. She just scoffed at him, looking up and down at the field before her.

"And just what are you thinking up now Quinn? How are we going to get the good doctor out?" She said with a grin.

"Well now that my scan is finished I just realized that we can use the mining laser to burrow underneath. Bet the Geth never figured that one out." He shot back.

The commander rolled her eyes as he leapt to the ground below. Garrus just shrugged and followed him down. Reaching out for the side panel, Arthur wielded his omnitool as the squad finally caught up.

"Are you sure this isn't just going to destroy us all?" Shepard asked, a hint of anger in her tone.

"Absolutely commander, I think that..."

"GETH!" Garrus yelled as he pulled out his rifle.

Shepard leveled her handgun as they both went for cover. Arthur quickly shut off his omnitool and ran towards the closest rock. The crossfire coming from the Geth pelted their cover as they tried to find an opening to retaliate.

"Take this scrap heap!" Arthur yelled as he tossed an overload on the closest Geth.

As big as it was, the Geth hunter still took some damage. Shepard finished it off by tossing it into a Geth trooper behind it, smashing both against a mining truck. As soon as they both went down Garrus popped out of cover to send some shots out when one of the leaper Geth landed on top of him.

"Spirits!" Garrus yelled as his rifle went flying across the cave floor.

The commander held her composure as Arthur unsheathed a knife from its holster. He sprinted at the Geth, switching his grip as he landed on top of it. The impact threw it off, and Garrus as he straddled its back. Locking it into place he took the knife and jabbed it into the optics.

Arthur shoved the robotic husk off him as he got up, yanking the knife out of its host. While he was helping Garrus off the ground Shepard threw weapon off to the side, glowing a bright blue. Soon the two remaining Geth were hovering in the air, and just as they were right in front of them, they were gone. The biotic blast sent them slamming against a nearby rock wall, throwing Geth bits everywhere.

"So...the, uh...laser." Shepard replied, huffing as she reached to pick up her gun.

"I'll get on it." Arthur replied, opening up his omnitool again as he ran over to the drill. "Got it!"

A loud whirring filled the chamber as the laser charged up. A bright red light filled the space along with an even louder noise. Rocks went flying everywhere and parts of the catwalks above fell off. Garrus jumped on Shepard as a sizable chunk of rock nearly crushed her.

Arthur turned away from the new opening right before him to check on the sight behind. Running over he tried to help both of them up, and watched as Shepard tried to hide her face. Garrus brushed himself off as he cleared his throat.

"You ok commander?" He replied sheepishly. The immediate response was a hand to the face and a nice mark to boot. She shoved both of them out of the way as she marched over towards the hole in the wall.

"What did you do?" Arthur asked, whispering.

Garrus scratched the side of his head. "I don't know. I think it might have to do with the new mark on her face."

"What new Mark?"

"The one that looks like my visor...I hope I didn't damage her sight too bad." He replied, rubbing the back of his head.

Arthur facepalmed. "Let's worry about that later, right now we...we." he started as he stared off into the distance.

Sitting on top of one of the crates was a familiar figure, a hole in her mask. Garrus looked back and forth between Arthur and the space around them, confused. He only continued on, hand trembling as he hid it behind his back.

" _Shit not now."_

Reaching out, Garrus laid a hand on his shoulder and shook him. "Arthur, are you all ri..."

"What the fuck are you two doing back there?!" Shepard yelled. "Fucks sake, you can admire our handiwork later now come on!" She yelled, standing there for a movement longer as she stared at Arthur. "What's up with him?"

Shaking his head Arthur shoved Garrus away. "Just uh, checking to see if the Geth are dead commander...just making sure."

(One year ago...)

"Are we sure they're all dead?" Arthur asked.

"Only one way to find out." Tuvok replied.

Leveling his shotgun he aimed it at the corpses head and squeezed. Blood splattered all over the ground, only confirming what they knew. Turning to the nearby console Arthur opened up his omitool. Typing in code after code as the Krogan beside him examined his shotgun.

"You know how much you baby that thing?" Arthur asked.

Tuvok snickered. "Baby it? Please Quinn, you know how often I like to get up close and personal. I have to run a weapons check every time the gunfire stops, otherwise I get some assholes last thoughts stuck in the barrel."

With a swipe on the interface the entire system opened up to him. Tuvok whistled as screen after screen with information popped up. Each screen contained a dossier on the prisoners kept here, including one target they were looking for.

"Damn. How many times do I have to plow a Quarian to get those kinds of skills?" Tuvok asked, immediately getting an elbow to the gut.

"Shut up." Arthur replied. "For your information it's free, also we need to be in deck 'E'."

"Deck E?" Tuvok replied, looking around. "Aren't we on deck A?"

"Yep."

"So that means we get to mulch more of the guards?" He questioned, cocking his shotgun.

"I mean, if that's what you want to do. We could always just do it the clean way." Arthur replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Shoving the human out of his way Tuvok reached for the controls of the door, choosing to smash the keypad instead. As soon as the door opened a couple of guards trying to get in were met with a few shotgun blasts. Arthur followed suit, shaking his head as he tried to keep up with the one Krogan wrecking crew.

"RAAAAAAAAAUGH!" Tuvok yelled.

Guards were sent scrambling as he knocked out a guard with an LMG. The Krogan licked his lips as he unleashed a steam of chaos out on the populace before him. Their cries for help echoed across the walls, mixed with the yells of Turok.

All Arthur did was cleanup behind him. Every now and then he would come across a stray guard crawling across the floor or maybe one like he found trying to put his arm back on somehow and ended him. Carnage like this was not new to him, though it would have fazed the average human.

As soon as he could he caught up with Turok's last known location. The elevator door was wide open, revealing a vast chamber down below. Looking around he put away his shotgun and activated a few functions on his gauntlets. Taking a few steps back he ran forward and jumped for the other side of the shaft.

"Let's just hope the magnets don't fail." He said to himself as he jumped down.

(Present Day...)

Shepard stood by as Arthur ran his fingers over the virtual keyboard. Alien symbols were hard to decipher but with the codex he pulled of the extranet he was able to translate commands. The bubble field dropped around the doctor, fading then completely disappearing.

"Aaaah!" Liara yelled as she fell to the floor. Garrus ran in past the commander to catch her and slid right underneath.

"Thank you." She said looking down at him.

"Your welcome." A muffled reply came from between her thighs.

Shepard helped a blushing Liara up as Arthur did the same with Garrus, a light snicker between the two. Nobody else noticed the exchange, just stopping before they got on the elevator. A handgun came out as Shepard held it chest level with the doctor.

"Commander, what the hell?!" Arthur exclaimed.

"I want a question or two answered and you're going to answer them right now. Why were the Geth trying to get to you if you're related to Matriarch Benezia?"

Hands in the air she replied, "I don't know, we haven't spoken in years! Commander, I think it would be wise to leave now."

A boulder came crashing down the elevator shaft making Garrus and Liara flinch. Shepard never budged for a moment, pushing the barrel into the doctor's gut. Another rock came down from the ceiling above along with a series of light fixtures.

"I decide when we leave! The mission comes first and I'm going to get my damn answers! Answer me this, just how many other Geth did you count while you were in there?"

"Uh, not too many more. There was a Krogan battlemaster along with a few others, some Geth." She replied, breathing a sigh of relief when the commander put her weapon away.

"Ok doctor, get us out of here." Shepard commanded.

Without hesitating a second more she ran over to the closest terminal typing in a series of commands. The others joined her, surprised at her knowledge of the Prothean language. Below them the lift jolted as it started it's ascent. Everybody was readying their weapons and checking heat sinks on the way up.

"A battlemaster? I don't think I've come across any of those." Garrus stated, checking the scope on his rifle.

"You can thank the genophage for that." Arthur replied.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing." Garrus replied.

"Not to you maybe, but to some people..." he stopped as he checked his cyberwarfare apps. "...It literally is the worst thing possible."

As the lift came to a stop at the top everybody paused at the sight before them. A Krogan in heavy armor stood by with a sizable contingent of Geth all around him. Liara slowly started backing away when Shepard grabbed her wrist.

"Give us the Asari and nobody has to die, or not." He yelled.

"How about this?!" Shepard retorted, throwing him backwards.

The Geth around him took the action as a threat and opened fire. Hot bolts plastered the area around them, including the Asari that had just thrown up a barrier around them. Shepard took the reprieve to charge her biotics and then charged out of cover to press the attack.

Arthur ran out next, hacking one of the nearby troops and laying down some fire with his handgun. Reaching down to his side he detached a small, boxlike object and typed in a few commands into his omnitool. Then looking around his cover he tossed it onto the ceiling above. The cube transformed into a turret, a singular barrel laying down fire on the Geth from above.

He cringed as the hacked Geth was hacked apart by a hunter and laid down some fire on the ones charging at his position. Just as one hopped over his cover he unsheathed a knife and buried it right into its optics, sending it straight to the ground. One Geth crumbled and another took its place. The hunter from earlier had closed in with its shields down and Arthur knew.

Coming in for the kill it thrusted it's weapon forward, throwing him to the ground. His handcannon flew off to the side, all to the Geth's advantage. Pinning his arms to the ground with its legs it aimed its weapon right at his face. Arthur could feel the heat coming from the barrel, closing his eyes to possibly shield himself from certain death, but if never came. The hunter was floating in the air, caught in a biotic field.

Off to the side Liara stood, sweating profusely now as she lowered the barrier around her and Garrus. With what strength she had she threw the hunter against the wall headfirst. The other Geth around them saw the display and started backing up, almost like any organic would in fear.

Once the Geth were being pressed back, the Krogan battlemaster was back on his feet, angrier than before. He roared as he charged at the commander head first. She barely had any time to dodge the attack before he slammed right into her side, knocking her out of a soldier's grip.

Garrus saw the attack and charged forward out of the cover, leaving Liara to defend herself. A harsh spray of fire spewed out of his assault rifle, up until the heat sink overloaded, and even then he never brought the battlemaster's barriers down. Tossing it off to the side he leapt on the Krogan, trying to throw him off Shepard, only to be shoved off.

"Ha! What do you think a scrawny Turian like you is going to do? Show more courage welp!" The Krogan said with a smile.

Unlike before the former C-Sec officer leapt from where he fell, charging wholeheartedly this time at the Krogan in front. Out of his rage he could never see his plans coming together. Just before he could make another attempt at freeing the commander the soldier from earlier jumped on him and wrestled him to the ground.

Up above Arthur's turret overheated, exploding from the damage it had taken. Arthur looked over to see Liara passed out behind the elevator console, and right out front were Garrus and the commander surrounded by two more Geth. Running through all the options in his head, he knew there was only one choice.

Compressing a compartment on his back a medium sized blade unfolded out. He reached for the grip and readied it as he ran out of cover. The first two Geth guarding the battlemaster turned to open fire, only to get their optics blown out by few blasts from an overcompensated handgun. Heatsink at its peak he holstered it at his side and pressed the attack with his sword.

The battlemaster was able to catch a glimpse of his oncoming attacker, holding one of his punches just long enough to pull out a blade of his own. He grinned as Arthur ran up to him, clashing steel with his own. The sounds reminded the Krogan of home.

"Nice weapon human, it looks Krogan...say, why do you have a Krogan blade?" He said as he forced Arthur on his heels.

"It...belonged...to a friend of mine!" Arthur shouted back, surprising the Krogan with his strength.

"He must have been quite the friend. Blades like that don't come for free." He replied, straining against his opponent.

"You're right...he died to give me his blade."

Using what consciousness and strength she had left, Shepard used her biotics to trip up the Krogan. The sudden shift caused him to lose his grip and leave just enough of an opening for Arthur to give him death's stroke. Lunging in he spun and slashed at the Krogan's neck, spraying the immediate area and himself with blood. Then with another swipe he severed the Krogan's head entirely.

Adrenaline running through his veins he roared as he charged at the Geth wailing on Garrus and kicked it off him. In one motion he jammed the blade through its throat, or at least where the throat would be, and pulled with all of his strength to the side. With enough force from him and the joints in his suit he slashed through one side of it, splattering Geth matter on the ground. Its optics began to flicker in and out as he finished it off with another swipe, covering the ground beneath in a bright white fluid.

Arms trembling he let the blade go, falling to his hands and knees. He never saw Garrus or Shepard get up to run and help up the now slightly conscious Asari doctor. Reaching off to the side he picked it up by the hilt and stored it in its proper compartment.

"What are you doing Quinn? The whole damn place is coming apart!" Shepard yelled as Garrus ran ahead.

"I'm coming command..."

"I SAID GET TOUR FUCKING ASS IN GEAR!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Jumping to his feet he bolted towards the catwalk ahead, steps behind Shepard. They both felt as part of the ceiling behind them slammed on the catwalk sending it down below. With just enough speed they made it to the entry tube just before the supports gave way. The whole catwalk came apart right behind them as they sprinted for the exit, side by side.

Daylight flooded in as Garrus opened the door, Liara leaning against him. They didn't even look back as a sudden burst of heat came up behind them. The blast threw both Arthur and Shepard our of the mineshaft and down the walkway, almost tripping up Garrus.

Finally hitting the dirt below, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief finally getting a chance to slow down. Up above the Normandy soared closer and closer, eventually coming down close enough to board. The ramp dropped down along with Wrex, Kaiden and Ashley.

Garrus was helped first, taking Liara out of his hands. Then Kaiden came for the commander, putting her arm over his shoulder before the trudged off to the ship. Ashley ran over to check on Arthur, eyes widening at the bloodstains on his armor. The first thing she did was to check for injuries, a blood sweep. Arthur shoved her hand away shaking his head.

"I'm not hurt..." he said taking a breath. "...just, just got in a big fight."

"Must have been a damn big one. I had no idea Geth had blood." She replied, a smile on her face.

"No...not Geth...Krogan."

Thankfully she was not the inquisitive type. She simply helped him to his feet and brought him aboard with the others. Quickly the ramp behind them closed and the familiar feeling of artificial gravity and take off kicked in.

Just like his CO always told him, "That feeling of climbing aboard a ship, right off a victory...that's the closest thing to sex as you're ever going to get son."


	8. Chapter 8: After Engagement

Arthur stood outside Shepard's quarters twiddling his thumbs as the commander was talking to the council up above. They demanded detail for detail all what she was doing, why she was doing it and so on. All of it was laced with politics and misunderstanding, the ignorance not only frustrated him but the commander as well. The anger welling up inside her could be felt across the ship and eventually heard as she signaled for Joker to lose the connection. The room dimmed as the projections disappeared and that could only mean one thing, it was time to pick up where they left off earlier.

Traditionally An after mission briefing is supposed to be a moment where the crew can get an understanding of what lies ahead, what needs to be undertaken. All of that and more was thrown out the window when Shepard unleashed fire and fury the likes of which Arthur never wanted. He still thought she hated him.

(Literally less than an hour ago...)

"And as your commander you are to respect my authority!"

"Are you sure about that? Last time I checked I'm not Alliance military and neither is Garrus. Plus your orders would have pinned us behind those rocks for ages! Somebody who actually knows how to not get people killed had to do something." Arthur shot back, causing the commander to jump up from her seat.

"Is this how the typical chain of command is aboard an alliance vessel?" Liara asked, still holding her head from the melding earlier.

Shepard facepalmed. "No, this is just what happens when you work with an honorless mercenary son of a..."

"Ahem." Wrex interrupted, clearing his throat.

"You know I'm not talking about you Wrex. I'm talking about the idiot who just charges ahead..."

"And saved yours and Garrus' lives." Arthur interjected. "If I hadn't stepped in and beheaded that Krogan battlemaster..."

"Damn, you knocked off a battlemaster?" Wrex asked.

"THATS NOT THE POINT!" Shepard yelled hands to her sides. "The point is, I'm squad leader and when we're out on these operations, when I give an order you follow it how I tell you to. No questions asked! The second you break the chain of command in combat you risk not only your life but others!"

"I don't mean to interrupt commander, but that's correct." Kaiden replied. "Most of us should have learned that when we joined our militaries. The chain of command is a necessary measure..."

"I'm not talking about eroding the chain of command Lieutenant kissa—lenko." Arthur interjected. "If we had held our place on the hill, covered by snipers from many directions, we would have died."

"And what would your suggestion be Arthur, you be put in charge?" She shot back, arms crossed.

"No." He replied as he shook his head. "Not my idea in the slightest. I'm just talking about changing tactics commander. Playing conservative all the time isn't going to stop the Geth."

Shepard looked all around the room as some heads nodded, others just tried to remain neutral in it all knowing her history. Opening up her omnitool she read the message from Joker and typed in a response. Message sent away she closed her omnitool and addressed the room.

"All right, that's enough for now. Everybody dismissed."

Slowly people got up from their seats, Garrus helping a woozy Liara stand up. One by one they filed out of the room including Arthur who was last, but not least, and maybe for a purpose. A hand reached out from behind him and held him place.

"You can go Quinn, but I want to talk with you in my quarters afterwards. Stand outside there and wait for me to get done with the council. Oh and that's an order." She finished, a grin on her face.

"Yes ma'am." Arthur replied snapping a sloppy salute.

(Now...)

He first heard the door above chime as it opened, her footfalls followed. Now standing at attention he waited as the commander walked by, not even taking a glance at him as she opened the door. Arthur followed her inside, looking around at the little to no amenities adorning the space.

Picking a chair on the other side of the table she sat down in the chair she preferred, motioning for him to do the same. Before he could sit down she pulled out a datapad and opened it up, maybe as a barrier of sorts between them, or an object better looking than his face at the moment. Information sifted before her, many marked out spaces in between.

"Commander..." he started as she held a hand up.

"You served on Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz correct?" She asked, a certain coldness in her tone.

"Yes, with honors." He replied.

"Indeed. It shows here that you received one of the highest honors in the Alliance, you were called a hero. Reports following and preceding list commanders' high opinions of your service. My question is why are you like this now? Disrespecting your superiors, throwing yourself at the enemy?"

He scoffed. "I lost respect for my 'superiors' when they used me. Guess it's safe to say you're holding my service record?"

Arms folded she answered him. "Absolutely. Tell me why there's such a change from then to now. What turned you into a such a disrespectful piece of shit?"

"Well, that right there Commander is in due part why I'm frustrated with the chain of command, there's no respect..."

Slamming her hand on the table with some biotics she got in his face. "Let me tell you something Quinn, a fact I should have told you earlier. I've been at this for years, spine intact. This respect you're clamoring for and talking about only comes when you've earned it and you may have gotten accolades in Elysium but, this is a different kind of fight with a different command. Also stop being a puss...I mean a pansy. You would've hardened up if you'd seen what I have seen."

"Are you talking about Torfan?"

Fist clenched she shook her head. "Fuck no, I'm talking about Mindoir! Ever heard of what happened there?"

His eyes widened, the stories ran through his mind the only question was how she could have been involved? It all happened so many years ago and the commander did not seem to be much older than him. He had a feeling he was about to get a life story.

"Yes. Batarian slavers..."

"Killed my family, and for some odd reason let me live. For years I had to deal with shitty foster parents. Nobody wanted much to do with the stupid little redhead with biotics and shellshock. Now as for the soldiers who rescued me... they were the closest ones to family I ever had, so when the time came I enlisted. When the time came, I was sent to Torfan and when the time came, I got my revenge." As she uttered the last word with every ounce of animosity in her, Arthur noticed a slight blue aura building up.

"So that's why you would willingly throw away our lives to hold a position? Because if that's the case then you're no better than my last commanding officer." He shot back, with less venom than before.

"Arthur, when you came aboard this ship, you accepted the mission. You accepted my command, and as your commander you listen to my orders and follow them through. I've dealt with enough hotshots before who think they know what they're doing and end up dead..."

"And I'm not one of them."

"Ha!" Shepard laughed. "Really? Then what do you call what happened down there? You hacked a Geth and charged forward..."

"Without it, or any other fire support the plan would have fallen through, but you know what, we weren't pinned to those rocks anymore were we? You see, I unlearned so many steps to wrong thinking when I went out of the Alliance. I realized risks had to be taken to get rewards and in this case, my life instead of yours. We all came back to the ship in one piece right?"

"Maybe. None of this means I trust you though. After all, I heard that you were previously trying to take down one of our crew mates for Saren. Just because you find some miraculous way to save the day that..."

"Are you serious?" Arthur retorted. "We've moved past that now. My loyalties are not with Saren."

"Ok then tell me this. Why is your record so spotty between you leaving the Alliance and coming aboard the Normandy? What kind of secrets are you hiding Quinn?" She replied, squinting her eyes.

Arthur paused for a moment looking around the room and door. Opening his omnitool he waved it over the door, locking it in place. Shepard got up from her seat, not knowing his intentions.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Shepard commanded, reaching for her sidearm. "Unlock that door now!"

"Commander, I'm not doing anything unreasonable, I just want our conversation to be private." He started, dissuading Shepard from doing the expected. "What I'm about to talk about is sensitive material. None of the information can leave this room."

"Sensitive? How can it be more sensitive than finding out I have some kind of Prothean message in my head?"

"Because if it ever were leaked to the council or outside the Alliance, humanity could end up like the Batarians. A rogue state." He replied as calm as possible. "You said you wanted answers and I'm about to give a report."

Shepard sat back in her seat, fingers arched in unison from both hands. Opening up his omnitool he sent the commander articles and documents, long since forgotten or deleted. As the information flooded in on her side she tried to read through the headings of each.

"I was part of an undercover Alliance sting operation. The Alliance used my previous service as a litmus test to lead a squad of expendable assets or criminals against the human supremacist group known as Cerberus. Ever heard of them?" He asked, a slight twitch in his eye.

"I've heard of them. They're lead by somebody called the Illusive Man I think, go on." She replied

"Yes. We were tasked with targeting a particularly brutal research cell examining biological weakness in non-humans. It sounds ridiculous knowing all the records on physiology out there but they were committing to their research for a more sinister purpose than analyzing xenobiology. They wanted to make biological weapons to target anybody who would oppose humanity or human interests, which would purportedly be the council races. The entirety of their crew was made up of older scientists involved with a scrapped bioweapons project started during the first contact war."

As she looked back down at the documents sent they were all officially marked with every seal, number, form name all in the right places. Either all he sent to her were very good forges or they were all real. She was not sure herself but everything seemed to be in order.

"Remember a research station blowing up between Earth and Luna?" He asked, scratching his chin.

She had to think about it for a moment. News was never at the forefront of her feeds, but she tuned in every now and then. Swiping through the information he sent she did stumble upon a report from the Alliance on Manchester station.

"That's the one. We found out the Cerberus cell we had been looking for, was hidden onboard. Most casualties the Alliances claimed to be civilians were actually Cerberus operatives, but that never mattered. The commander in charge of the operation got a promotion while we never got paid back the promises made for all we did."

"Deniable assets, damn." She casually replied. "I'm actually corroborating your evidence with anything I can get my hands on as a Spectre. The documents you have are pretty damning but accurate. The Alliance filed away much of what's here, just with more censorship. Technically you should still be wanted by the Alliance for war crimes, but I've found...your obituary? Just how the hell..."

"I've got contacts Shepard. Let's just say I helped out the shadow broker here and again and they came through. After all, you'd need that kind of help after threatening an alliance admiral." He replied with a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"That covers that I guess. Believe I can show some confidence in you as a soldier, some. I do have one issue that we need to address before we move on." She responded, setting everything aside for her to put her boots on the table. "You made doctor Chakwas lie about your mental state. Tell me, when did it start?"

Arthur cringed at the revelation. He never liked to gamble, especially when it came to playing against other players. Keeping a straight face was always necessary in games of the such and right now he was failing spectacularly at hiding his true feelings.

"So you noticed, back in the cave?" He asked, a slight twitch in his eye and defeat in his tone.

"Not at first, no. I had to think where I first saw anybody act like that and remembered a buddy I served with on Torfan. Going to town on those Batarians did a number on him. His face was just as twisted as yours was on the ground."

"And you? Don't you see Chakwas for the same thing?" He replied.

"No, not the exact same thing, rather something else. My old CO went missing not too long ago. I really miss the guy because he was what helped me get through hell on Torfan. Now as for you, you seemed to be worse off and until I get a notification otherwise, you are to remain on this ship as backup."

"Backup? What?" Arthur asked, surprised. "But I...I went down to Therum and..."

"Held your composure to a point and then you lost it. If you had snapped on us the same way you did the Krogan we would not be sitting here talking. I believe..."

"But Shepard I can..." he started as she thrust her hand out in front of him.

"Now your condition may or may not be as severe as other cases out there and there's treatment with and beyond counseling. There's a therapy some of our doctors used for certain cases, ones where they would have to be sent to the Citadel. Tell you what, I want you to speak with Dr. Chakwas and the Dr. T'Soni next time you go down." She replied, arms crossed.

"Why both? What can Liara do that Dr. Chakwas can't?" Arthur asked, confused with her answer.

"She can meld with your mind, walk and talk with you while you figure out where the problem is. I suggest you do it I mean it's showed great results. So until then you have to stay on this ship." She replied, typing a message into her omnitool. "Dismissed."

Standing up to leave he swiped his omnitool over the lock. As soon as the door opened, a surprised Kaiden took a step back. Arthur shoved him out of the way, shaking his head as he stomped off towards the medical bay to speak with the doctor.

His hand reached out and depressed the holographic interface. As soon as the door opened he saw Liara and Dr. Chakwas sitting across from each other, the Asari lightly kicking her feet as she listened to the seasoned physician. None of them noticed the door opened until Arthur walked inside, running a hand through the artificial silver in his hair.

"Welcome back Arthur. Are you here to get a checkup on your 'rash'?" She asked with wink.

"When did you tell Shepard about it?" He asked, his tone sharp like an edged sword.

The older doctor sat back in her seat shaking her head. She knew what she knew but the only way one could find out about Arthur was if they had access to her records. Even then Shepard could never open them since it was against Alliance medical policy. There was only one other way she could have figured out, deduction.

"Never! I would break my code as a physician if I said anything and I would not jeopardize years of service because of one spurned commander. What did she say to you?" She asked back.

"Do I need to leave?" Liara asked pointing to the door at the other end of the room.

"No actually." Arthur replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Shepard recommended me to meld minds with you."

Liara blushed while Chakwas nodded in affirmation. "It's a procedure used to deal with obstinate patients. Let me warn you, it is very invasive for both patients. Usually melding is used for intercourse, but..."

"Let me stop you there doctor. I know what melding does." He said with a grin, stopping Liara's face from turning a deeper shade. "So do you know how this works? I mean have you ever overseen a procedure like this?"

"Yes, three times in fact. I was acting as the observer to ensure the soldier being melded with was in good health at all times. We never lost a patient, but the whole process of melding bewildered me. I know every bone and organ in the Asari body and still am amazed by it. Nonetheless, everything will go smoothly. You will be able to hear me and me you during the entire process." She ended, while picking up her datapad.

"Liara are you up to this? I mean did you meld with Shepard just earlier." Arthur asked.

She braced her chin as some of the big thinkers of yore did. Young age helped her spring back up to her feet, but melding twice in one day? Doubt crept in as she looked between the only physician in the room and the large human next to her. A sigh escaped her lips as she rubbed her temples.

"It is possible, but I don't know how long I can hold the meld for it what the inside of his mind may be like. What you are asking for is more complicated then simply...mating." She replied.

"Please have a seat." Dr. Chakwas said, pointing to the seat right across from her.

Taking a seat on the closest bed, she pulled up a chair for Liara as well, forcing Arthur to lay back. Right at the end of the bed she stood as Liara closed her eyes. The doctor pressed the word to speech option on her device and sat it down on the closest bed.

"Here it goes." She said hesitating for a moment as she gathered herself. "Embrace eternity!"

The room around them disappeared, immediately opening up a cold and dark hallway. Liara looked around confused at the sight before her. Taking a few steps back she jumped as a hand grasped her shoulder, only to find out it was Arthur, just not in any attire she recognized.

"Your mind...why is it so barren, so dark?" She asked, shivering in place.

"First things first, I'm not the happiest man in the galaxy and I have my reasons. Two this is what you're here for." He replied.

They walked around looking from door to door, each with a label of some past memory. Arthur knew what lay behind each door, hands twitching as they neared the end of the hallway. He stretched out his arm to stop them from walking any further down the hallway, his arm now trembling.

"What are you two doing in there? Arthur is shivering as if he's out in the tundra." Dr. Chakwas asked.

"Nothing doctor, can we just..."

"It seems to be a tremendously painful memory. At least I can assume." Liara replied. "He's not letting me through."

"And for good reason!" Arthur yelled. "That's unt-untou—dammit! Liara, I'm sorry for bringing you into this, but the pain..."

"Arthur, we need to move forward, you need to move forward! Listen to me, we're fighting an army of Geth and the commander needs every combat ready crew member available. Please let Liara do this." The doctor replied, her voice echoing off the walls.

Slowly he pulled his arm back, letting the Asari past. He slumped against the wall closest to him, putting his head between his legs as mumblings escaped his lips. Heart pounding against the wall as she moved further into his subconscious mind.

"Just so you know, you aren't going to like what's behind that door. Every time...every damn time I open it I have to fight what's inside and just so you know I haven't won yet, if you couldn't already tell. The only way I can 'win' is by appeasing it."

Liara pressed the icon, opening the door. Unlike most other doors she had encountered this one creaked, heavily as it took its time to open. As it did a pair of bright red eyes appeared beyond the threshold. She fell at first sight scooting away from the being coming out.

Darkness covered it from head to toe. It growled as it took a few steps toward the cowering doctor, menacing her eyes. Arthur knew exactly what it was and ran over to it, wrapping his arms around it.

"What is happening? Liara, you have the most frightened expression on your face right now, please respond!" The doctor asked from the beyond.

"Doctor, we've encountered a monster of sorts! It has red eyes and..."

"Kinja it's ok, it's not Viza! I...I'm sorry. Look, we need to stop this procedure." He said as he held the beast, which took on a more feminine form. Liara sat by as it reached into an opening in his chest armor and latched on. A sinister grin spread across its face.

"Doctor, the beast is latching onto a hole in his chest, like it's draining the life out of him. What does any of this mean? What do I do?" She asked, now standing up.

"Liara there's not much you can do other than interpret what you see. It's up to Arthur to let go of this evil inside him. That is if he is willing to let go of it in the first place."

The apparition hissed at the words, clutching onto its prey. Liara stood up and gave a hand, slowly walking towards the beast. Her prey reached out an arm to try and stop the doctor, but to no avail. Seeing no other option it let go of Arthur, dropping him to the ground, and charged, snarling as it ran.

"Liara, What the fuck are you doing!?! She'll kill you!" Arthur yelled as he reached out to stop Kinja from attacking. "Liara please!"

"It's ok Arthur, I have a plan I think." She replied, looking back at something far off behind her.

"Well this all sounds interesting and quite dramatic." Dr. Chakwas added.

She stood there arms spread out wide, muttering something as the monster neared. Then like a supernova, a warm feeling surged throughout Arthur's body. Righteous fury consumed him as he jumped up from his place and tackled Kinja.

"ENOUGH!" He yelled as he picked her up with both hands and threw her against the wall.

The impact created a small crack in the surface, and oddly enough a change in scenery. Dark grays and somber black tones started brightening up. Kinja roared as she got back up aiming to strike a blow at Arthur's chest and recoiled. Where there was once a gaping hole now had solid black armor.

Along came another attack, not as fierce as the last, but with the same intentions. Claws sought to rip him apart but he stopped her as the first blow came down. Another strike came from her other claw, stopped again as he delivered a solid blow to her chest, sending her backwards.

"I see. Every time I try to rationalize it away again and again I forget why you held onto me." He replied stopping her as she charged at him by grabbing her by the neck and with one arm and chokeslammed the frenzied Quarian.

"You're afraid of me getting close to anyone at all. You were always afraid of me getting close to anyone else. It's why I didn't see through it, through the fog you made. Why I couldn't see Viza like I saw her before you entered my life you manipulative, controlling, bitch!"

"RAAAAAAAUGH!" She screeched as she ran at him again this time summoning more versions of herself to take him on.

Preparing for the first clone he took a step back, then waited for it to come running into his waiting arms. Running towards it he wrapped both of his arms around its waist. Her attacks on his back were useless as he jumped backwards, slamming the clone headfirst into the ground. Liara watched the display of physicality from a distance, looking back at the growing light down the hallway.

"She was my wife, my everything, and together we made something so beautiful." He said breaking down. "Because of the blinders you put on me to 'focus on the mission' I'll never see those tiny arms reaching out to me, never dropped her off at school, never give that awkward talk down the road! I was gonna be a dad until you blew everything away!"

Pointing his finger at the main apparition he said with a scowl, "But oh, you loved me didn't you. Heartless, self-centered Bosh'tet! I am in control of everything I do, but you cut me off from the loves of my life! Fuck you!"

Another one of the clones came in, this time with more fury than the other. It sought to claw out his eyes, swiping furiously at him. He tried to dodge every attack, but slipped up and took a claw to the eye. Blood never came, then again this was not exactly reality.

"I don't know why it took me this long to open my eyes." He said, literally wiping the massive gash on his face away. "Now its time to put you on notice!"

Once again the clone ran at him, the same attack strategy as the last. Arthur took more caution this time, swaying with each step his opponent took, waiting for the right time to strike. Then the clone threw both of its claws forward, trying to end any resistance, and ended up meeting its end.

Grabbing both claws he shifted to the side and shot his knee right into its ribcage. Letting go of its arms for one minute he cocked his arm back and threw his fist right into its mask. The blow went right through its cover and skull at the same time, causing Liara to avert her eyes.

"Now, bring it on you crazy bitch." Arthur said waving for the real Kinja to come forward.

Which she did, but not with the same zeal her minions did. Instead she walked over to him, with less energy now, holding out her hands as she got closer. She had both Arthur and Liara confused.

"Doctor, I think I'm seeing some sort of uh...conflict resolution?" Liara questioned.

"Well after the interesting dialogue Arthur has had with himself I would hope so." She replied.

Now holding the apparitions hands in place Arthur used his position to wrap her arm behind her back and started walking her towards a newly formed door on the wall closest to them. The tendrils of darkness engulfing her began to recede and fade out until they were nonexistent. All that remained was Kinja herself, staring down at the floor, defeated.

Reaching out to the panel next to the entryway Arthur typed in a code, one they both knew. When it opened a flood of light filled the hallway, revealing a bright tropical planet with a soft breeze blowing through. Arthur shook his head when the memories started flooding in.

"Why do you want me to leave my love?" She asked.

"Love?" Arthur shot back, venom in his tone. "Kinja...you and I both knew this was never going to work out. You used me and damaged my relationship with Viza in so many ways. Look, I..." he started as he choked up. "You need to go away...Just go."

Reluctantly she went in, walking through the course sand. As she went in she reached up to her mask and loosened the seals, eventually taking it off. The door quickly closed behind her as she turned around. Arthur never did see her face, not that he wanted to.

He took a step back as he looked down at his chest. A hand reached for an opening once there now gone. His head shook in disbelief as he slumped against the closest wall. Liara walked up to him wrapping an arm around his neck. Looking up at her now there was a smile on his face.

"Thank you Liara, but how did you know what to do?" He asked out of pure curiosity.

Back behind her a light came down the hallway and yet none of the doors were open. Both looked down the hall in wonder as a figure stood at the other end, arms behind its back. Arthur never realized it but his hands were reaching out to it not just in his mind but outside of the meld. The doctor observing it all had no idea what was going on.

"Arthur, just what are you reaching out for? You almost grabbed a monitor by the way, describe what you are seeing to me please." She asked

"Doctor it's...it's a person, kind of hard to describe." He replied.

She paused for a moment thinking of what happened in another treatment session years ago. Then an idea came to mind. Reaching over she grabbed the largest datapad next to her and put the recording session in the background as she summoned another application. A small attachment snapped off the side as she placed both in his hands, giving him something to work with.

"Now, I need you to the best of your ability to trace the figure for me. If you can Liara, please help him reconstruct the sight before you to the best of your abilities."

"Understood doctor." She replied, gently wrapping her hands as best she could around Arthur's wrists.

To her surprise he did not really need the help. Not that Arthur was a natural artist, but for some reason his stylus seemed to have a mind of its own. On his side of the situation it seemed kind of odd drawing a figure out of thin air but on the other end a vivid picture was being drawn for the one who really needed it.

Suddenly Arthur stopped, setting the pad and utensil aside as he walked over to the presence of light. He slowly reached out as he walked, slowly feeling more and more warmth as he got closer. Right as he was about to touch its shoulder it disappeared.

As it disappeared so did the bright colors which came to be just earlier. Darkness slowly crept back in as Liara ran over to him, leaning against the wall for support the whole way. Arthur saw the struggle and held her up, holding her close to him. He closed his eyes as the world around them collapsed.

The medbay came back into view, and so did an exhausted Liara. She leaned back in her seat, struggling to keep her eyes open, as she eventually collapsed in a sweaty heap. Meanwhile Dr. Chakwas was glancing over the raw data drawn before her. He was no artist but the rendition on the tablet looked very lifelike.

"What was that?" Arthur asked as he sat up, hand on his head. "It was so bright and vivid."

Chakwas smiled as she gave an answer. "I think your question should rather be more focused on a 'who' than a 'what'. Tell me Arthur, what do you think of Quarians?"

"Wait what, why? What does that even have to do with this?" He asked out of curiosity now.

Thoughts raced through his mind as she gave him back the tablet. Glancing over the image just once gave him questions, the next gave him a shock to the system. He looked once over at Liara who was now passed out on the bed next to him and the actual doctor who was raising a brow.

"It's odd the thoughts you shared about Kinja, and yet you drew her in such reverence..."

"Doctor...this isn't Kinja." He replied, just as shocked as the expression on her face.

"Then who is it? The description is of a Quarian, but..." she stopped as her eyes widened in realization. "Oh my, I believe Ive seen this before. Your subconscious is trying to tell you something."

"But why her? We don't even know each other that well." He replied, putting the tablet behind him. "I mean, she's the only person I know from everything before the Normandy, but none of this makes sense, why is my mind telling me this?"

"Maybe that's why you should talk with her. This is a sign your mind is trying to tell you something and I believe you should listen." The doctor answered as she walked over to a passed out Liara. Reaching for a compartment above her she grabbed a thermal cover and laid it over the unconscious Asari.

"But tell me what? Is it trying to find a replacement for Kinja?" He asked as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to sort his thoughts out.

"That I do not believe." She said turning to him. "From the sounds of everything you fought Kinja and tried to put thoughts of her to rest. Your subconscious, might I add rational, mind is presenting you the best option for a solution through someone you recognize."

Reaching out she laid a hand on his shoulder. He sighed as he buried his face in his hands, questions without answers running through his head. Not a single solution came to his mind, but for some reason he felt the doctor was going to give him one like a prescription.

"I'm not telling you to speak with Tali as a potential love interest, or a even friend for that matter. I'm just going off of what your subconscious is trying to tell you and go from there. You need to sit down and talk with her, stay away from the mission field for a spell, and do something nonviolent. Trust me, this will help." She said giving the most heartwarming smile.

"Is this going to help with my rash?" He replied, finally looking at her eye to eye.

The doctor laughed as she stood up. "No, but it will help you with the healing process. Now go and visit her."

Arthur slowly got up to do what the doctor suggested and shook off the mental drag from the meld. Going right out the door he saw Kaidan back in his regular spot doing push ups, Shepard speaking with Garrus right outside her door. He ran into the elevator as fast as he could, pressing on the icon to send the lift down.

Slowly the lift descended towards the deck below. Arthur paced throughout the lift as he thought about everything going on. What the meld showed him and somehow finally being able to muster something anything to fight back against himself really.

" _Is she dead? Is she really dead after all of that?_ " He thought to himself.

" _Maybe...hopefully."_

Concern came to the forefront of his mind now. Doubt followed shortly after, doubt always came to him. It had been years since he formed any kind of relationship and trying to form one off the battlefield again seemed impossible.

The lift eventually stopped and the door came down. Arthur stepped off running into Ashley and the Normandy's requisition officer. Right between them was a large handtruck of sorts covered in worn weapons crates and a few other containers. Crates went everywhere.

"Watch it Quinn!" Ashley yelled as the mercenary slipped by.

"Sorry, I can help pick this up." He replied, shoving scopes and barrels into random containers.

"Uh do you know where those even go?" The officer asked.

"Not exactly but if it fits it works right?"

Both of them stared at him, Ashley trying to kill him with her own looks. Arthur just put everything down he had in his hands and slowly walked away. The door to the engine room could not open any faster. As soon as the door closed the sounds of the core filled his ears.

He went down the ramp to hear engineer Adams talking about something out loud. At first it appeared he was talking to himself, but as he got closer he heard Tali add on, "Well I think it sounds like a great idea."

"Really? So you wouldn't mind making a tutorial for my son?"

"Not at all. I always loved helping kids learn how to build new tools from what we have or machines. Now that I think of it, the way I just said that makes me sound old." She replied burying her mask in her hands.

Adams laughed. "I would say that's the complete opposite. You obviously have a passion for sharing what you know to everyone around you. Ever thought about being a teacher?"

"You know it's funny you mention that. Everybody on the fleet is a teacher, we have to be. Simply hoarding knowledge of how to fix a doorframe could cause distrust in the fleet, which is never good."

"Really? I never knew that." Arthur piped in. Tali turned around as soon as she heard him speak up while Adams stuck to his station.

"When did you come in?" She asked, surprised.

Arthur shrugged. "Literally less than 2 minutes ago. By the way, I think you would make a great teacher."

"See." Adam's interjected. "I'm not the only one saying that."

Tali blushed underneath her mask, turning back to her station. She paid no attention to the figure walking up to the railing next to her. Patriently he waited for some kind of response from her, staring up at the engine core.

"Just so you know I've spoken with Chakwas." He said turning towards her.

"Good." She replied, cycling back through logs.

"Shepard found out about, well, everything so I'm stuck aboard the ship."

"Really? Was that why she was so angry with you?" She replied, not even looking him in the eyes.

"Yes. I think she was more upset I kept this from her than simple chain of command nonsense. I've seen her records and I can tell she's not always been a by the book type. Maybe she saw a bit of herself in me. I dunno." He replied.

The room fell silent for a moment, the light hum of the core filling the void. Arthur looked over at her station for a moment and back at Adams. He never liked silence, not for too long at least. It reminded him all too much of the front lines on Elysium.

"So how long are you going to just stand there and flip through everything you've already put in?" He asked.

Breathing a sigh Tali swiped away the information on the screen and locked he terminal. Stepping away she waved for Arthur to follow her. Adams did little to get between the two since Tali had already gotten ahead of herself. After all, she had already done a weeks worth of systems maintenance in such a short fraction of the time.

She guided the two out into the hangar where Wrex stood asleep against the wall. The engineer just stood there and stared at the sight, never seeing a Krogan or anybody sleep like that before. Her focus was broken when Arthur passed by, walking right behind the Mako.

"Do you know what I really came downstairs for?" Arthur asked in a hushed tone.

"I thought that all you wanted to talk about was your visit with Chakwas and maybe Therum. What is on your mind?"

There were many things in his mind right then. The snoring from across the room did not help, but that was part of it. Another half, more hard to describe, would probably throw her off. Part of him knew she would think he was crazy, if she did not already. The other half, well the other half thought she might somehow understand and listen to him.

"What we did...I dug into my mind, Liara did I mean..."

"Hold on, Liara did what now?" Tali asked.

"We melded."

"Oh." She replied, sounding amazed and curious. "Why would Dr. Chakwas recommend that though? Isn't melding meant for..."

"Sex? Kind of...I mean the Asari use it for reproduction but it can also do other things, crazy things like reading through the mind of another. It's been some time since I last melded with anyone."

"So...Liara won't be expecting anything in nine months?" Tali asked, more inquisitive then before.

Now it was Arthur's turn to be embarrassed, and it felt good. He was standing there having a normal conversation with somebody, a Quarian nonetheless and he wasn't having a severe reaction. Taking the random question in stride he tried to hide the emotion in a smile.

"No, not at all." He laughed.

"That's because he didn't stick his dick in her." Wrex said from across the room.

Both heads swiveled towards the half awake Krogan leaning against the wall. One eye was open, seeing the reaction on their faces, the one he could see at least. He himself could not feel the warm feeling building up in Arthur's chest, something he had not felt in some time.

"Wait what?" Tali asked. "I thought you were asleep?"

"Hah, and miss this conversation? All you had to say was Asari and sex and you had me hooked." He replied with a grin.

"Keelah." Tali replied, burying her face in her hands.

His laughter would have been more genuine if he could actually see her face. Instead he gave a small enough laugh to sound genuine and just gave up. Closing his other eye he leaned back against the wall, trying to maintain the act of sleeping.

"I'm so sorry...if I had known Wrex was listening in then..."

"Never mind that Tali it's all ok. I just meant to say that I think the Doctor's recommendation on procedure is working, at least I think it is. What about you?" He asked, not even paying attention to where she was looking.

Finally taking notice he looked down to where his hands were and saw they were wrapped around hers. He quickly let them go, awkwardly putting his hands to his sides. Tali slightly smiled under her mask.

"Your hands did not shake not even once while you were talking to me just now. As a matter of the fact you haven't been acting like you normally have around me. What exactly did Liara do in your head?"

"Where should I even start?" He asked scratching at his chin. Before he could finish his thought a familiar voice came over the loudspeakers.

" _Attention all crew, we have arrived at Noveria. I need Liara and Kaidan to suit up and standby at the airlock._ "

As soon as the sound went off Wrex spoke up again, "Odd the commander wants an archaeologist on this team. Hope she knows how to even hold a gun."

"Do you think the commander is going to need us to stand by?" Tali asked as she looked between the two.

"Maybe...maybe not." The Krogan shrugged.

"Arthur what do you think?" She asked.

"I'm kind of with Wrex here. Who knows what the commander wants. Hell, I'm not even sure Shepard wants to see me right now."

Grabbing him by the hand Tali started pulling him over to the lift, something he never thought he would see her do. Boldness was not one of Tali's traits, but neither was shyness or regular humor for him. Today was day of new happenings and turns of events. Who knew what the commander would say?

(Literally one minute later...)

"Hmm...ok"

"Ok? But I thought you said..."

Shepard shook her head as she checked the gage on her pistol. "I meant only for combat areas. The entire space we're walking around in is just a lobby area. The only battle you're going to see in there is for space, maybe. Besides I thought some things over, it might not be best for you to be cooped up on the Normandy."

"Well, uh thanks commander." He replied scratching the back of his head.

Pulling him off to the side she whispered, "Just don't make me regret it."

Arthur nodded as the commander walked away to join the rest of her team. The most interesting decision the commander could have made was allowing Liara to go out into the field. He stood there and watched as she finally found out where her pistol attached to her hip.

Leaning over to Tali he whispered, "I think we just found out why the commander wants people on standby."

Tali snorted as Arthur walked back towards the elevator looking back Liara as she nearly fell out of the airlock. On the way back to the crew quarters Arthur felt a slight hum on his arm. Swiping open his omnitool he saw it was the messaging app again. An old, familiar feeling, anger, welled up in him.

AQ: What do you want now?

?: There's a bar up from the lobby your dock is connected to. Be there in 10 minutes.

AQ: Be there or what? What could you do...

?: I knew you were on Therum not too long ago. I've been tracking you ever since you left the Citadel. Do as I say or the commander gets an early retirement.

(Other user has disconnected)

AQ:...


	9. Chapter 9: Just for one Drink

Arthur took a swig of his drink as the target came in through the door absolutely covered by security. He checked with Goruvut to see if his intuition was right and saw the sign. Taking another hearty drink from the glass he was glad he didn't get anything harder, otherwise his performance would be stunted.

"Ready my love?" Kinja asked, dressed in more immaculate attire than what most Quarians would ever wear in their lifetimes.

"But of course." He replied with a smile, giving his arm to her as they made their way towards the center of the room.

They were aboard one of the finest cruiseliners money could afford and they somewhat stuck out. Nobody else there was Quarian, save a server here and there. Arthur could feel the piercing eyes firing round after round through his back, but dared not lose his composure. After all, his main target was keeping her eyes on him the whole time, as he wanted.

Undercover work was not his specialty, but in their field he had to make due. He went under the guise of an up and coming businessman, cutthroat to the core and only wanting more. Kinja was merely his exotic "escort" for this mission.

All of him hated being an asshole towards her. Handing off the role of the monster businessman was all he wanted to do but apparently everybody thought he fit the role. He also cared little for the name too.

"Ah Mr. Schökenbourg, it's good to finally meet you." A masked human coming towards them said. As she approached, she extended her hand.

"Mrs. Vishtari." Arthur said as he reached out for her hand, planting a kiss on one of the rings attached. "It truly is a pleasure."

"I could very well say the same." She replied, narrowing her eyes at the Quarian next to him. "Who is your friend?"

"My entertainment for the night." Arthur replied, a certain giddiness to his tone.

"Hmm, yes." She replied looking Kinja up and down. "You must tell me what brought you into such a prestigious role in, well I guess I can call it your company now."

Ahnaeda Vishtari, entrepreneur, provocateur, and all around fashion statement. By day she managed to build up a massive fashion empire, employing one of the most impressive lineups when it came to models, and somehow firing them not too long afterwards. What became of them when the lights went out? That's what he was there to find out.

What Arthur and his team discovered was who hired them, the question was where were they going? As most on the team saw it, this was only way to figure it out. Even if it meant getting close to the mastermind behind it all.

(Present day...)

He only wished he had the team with him now, maybe with the exception of the manipulative girlfriend. Against his better judgment he decided to go out on his own. Joker was even asking if he really wanted to go alone and Arthur deflected. Being in the dark meant playing it safe, going alone was the best option as far as he could see.

Sitting down at the bar he waited patiently as the Salarian behind the counter poured his drink. He knew what he could take and what would knock him out, and right now he was just looking for a good drink. Of course being at a borderline resort on a planet covered with snow, most of the swill had some sort of warming effect, not much to his liking.

"Here you go." The bartender said as he slid the drink in front of him. "Enjoy."

Arthur took one swig of the drink and sat it down on the counter, content with himself at the moment. He checked his omnitool every now and again, waiting for a response from the message he sent earlier. There was also the anticipation of Shepard getting back to the Normandy before he did.

" _Maybe this is for the best. Shepard taking care of business while I stay away from the battlefield for once. I think she could be right about this._ " He thought to himself, aware of a certain figure walking up to him.

The once unoccupied seat next to him was immediately filled by a slender Turian in a purple suit and markings to match. Arthur took his time taking down the rest of his drink before he would even start asking any questions or getting answers. Whichever came first would satisfy him.

"Glad to see you really escaped death itself." She stated, waving off the Salarian.

"Good to see you too Faranna." He replied.

"I'm curious. How did you even know I was here? I mean after all this time..."

"Listen..." He said as he stared into his glass. "We'll need to cut our reunion short. Bottom line is there's someone here who's hacked into my omnitool. They've been messaging me off and on and I need someone I know who still has their finger on the pulse of the Broker's network. Get some answers."

"Really?" She asked, tapping her talons on the counter. "You don't think it's..."

"Al-Saddir? Not exactly, though I'm not ruling him out."

"Then who?"

Right behind him was the sound of a gun charging. Some people ran out of the room, screaming as unknown gunmen came pouring in. Arthur never even turned around to see who it was, only raising his hands above his head as a barrel was placed against his back. Faranna did the same, only she had her face unnecessarily slammed into the bar.

"Is all of this necessary?" Arthur asked, not even trying to get a visual on the gunman behind him.

"Very much so." An effeminate voice replied somewhere off behind him. "Our client wanted this to be done the right way, so you're coming with us."

"Are you so sure about that?" Arthur replied.

"What do you mean? We've got you and this Turian bitch dead to rights, what makes you so sure you're getting out of this alive?" The gunman behind him shot back, ramming the barrel further into Arthur's spine.

"Uh, I don't really have an idea how but I was kind of hoping somebody would lend a hand?" He responded shyly.

Suddenly a door opened on the other side of the room. Loud footsteps were followed by weapons charging. A loud belch echoed from wall to wall, holding for almost a minute until it eventually stopped.

"Sorry I was late. I had to take care of the doorman. Guy was an ass." A deep, but familiar, voice said.

"Wait, you killed Gorik?" The leader asked, calling his comment into question.

"Yeah, you can find out for yourself when I send you to meet him." He replied, grinning as he cocked his shotgun.

"We only need the human alive! Blast him!" She commanded.

As soon as the words escaped from her mouth the room erupted with gunfire. Arthur noticed an absence in the gun to his back and spun around to face the attacker. A human, who now had his back turned to focus on the Krogan on the other side of the room, quickly became an easy target.

He wrapped his arms around his neck, using the gunfire all around to cover the sound of the sickening snap. Taking the gun from his hands he opened up on the guard still holding Faranna down and shoved their body to the side. With two fingers he felt around her neck to see if she was still among the living and found a pulse.

Now on the other side of the room the Asari was hovering towards the Krogan newcomer. Biotics picked up the tables and chairs all around her, occasionally tossing one or the other at the man ahead. She never noticed the one man army working past the guards behind her.

"Give it up Krogan, you're outmatched! My biotic fields..."

"Are about to get wrecked! Eat this blue bitch!" The Krogan yelled as he fired a concentrated blast from his shotgun.

The impact threw her back across the room, sliding until she stopped at the feet of someone else with a gun. He leveled the pistol to her face and held it there. She threw up her hands to blast him through the ceiling but he dodged the blast, kicking her in the head.

Biotics disappeared as she fell unconscious, spared the fate of the others. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief as he stood there, hands on his hips. Loud thuds from footfalls made their way across the room reminding Arthur who he should thank.

"Tuvok, heh...you still look like shit." Arthur laughed.

The Krogan rolled his eye. "Of all the people I would have to run into, a dead man with an attitude."

"Funny how 'death' makes you look huh?" Arthur asked, punching Turok's shoulder.

"Bah!" He replied slapping his arm away. "I'm not even going to ask how you're alive, I know you. Question is, did Al-Saddir get Kinja too?"

Arthur recoiled for a moment, expecting for the shaking to come and it did, mild as it was. There was a guilty feeling deep inside of him, trying to let itself out but he shut it down. He was good at closing himself up.

"Yeah, they killed her right in front of me...as they held me down." Arthur said casually.

"Damn...and you're not pissed? I mean, I thought you two were..."

Throwing up a hand to stop him Arthur cleared his throat. "I was, but I realized I couldn't have done anything to stop them. Also found out she uh, used me."

Tuvok grunted in affirmation, putting his shotgun away. "Yeah I'm not gonna dig any further than that. Tell you what, why don't we ask this nice assassin why she was after you and...is that Faranna over there?"

Quickly forgetting everything around him he ran over to the bar and helped the now awake Turian off the counter. They started their own little conversation while Arthur investigated the scene, first patting down the Asari for anything important. He made sure to be thorough, taking her sidearm and attaching it to an empty place at his side.

Searching pouch through pouch on her combat belt gave him a better picture. In one he found a security pass from a ranking officer in Port Hanshan, pocketing it for later. On her other hip he searched through a pouch at first thinking it was empty until one of his fingers pressed on a secret interface icon. A slight beeping noise escaped from the small space.

He assumed the worst and ran over to the bar where Tuvok was cleaning Faranna up and jumped over. The sound soon echoed across the room, causing Tuvok to jump behind cover, clutching onto the back of Faranna's collar. All waited for an explosion to redecorate the room with Asari—and it never came.

Tuvok was the first to peek over the counter, going wide-eyed at the image before him. "Hey Quinn, you might want to take a look at this."

Now it was Arthur's turn to see what was so shocking to the Krogan. Slowly he reached over the counter finding a platform to help vault over the surface. Landing on broken glass below him he crunched all the way to the center of the room where a lone figure slowly began to materialize.

Once he was close enough it came alive.

"Hello Arthur. It's been some time now hasn't it?" A familiar voice said coming from a speaker below.

Arthur stood there in silence, slack jawed at the sight before him. The man on the other side of the screen laughed. For months he had been relishing this moment, imagining how or when it would come.

"Shocked I found you? Please, Galu was good at helping Viza cover up your slaughter on the Citadel, but I've been good at recognizing your work. Heh, you really do have a killer instinct still in you. Like you did on Elysium, Trident even."

"Why are you doing this? Why now?" Arthur replied.

Most except Tuvok, covered their ears as the speaker realeased a sickening screech. Laughter followed close behind permeating the room. Then he stopped, narrowing his eyes on the man in front of him.

"You seriously don't remember do you? The night you ruined me?"

(Nearly 6 months ago, Earth...)

A large, thundering stormfront was coming in. Rain soaked a lonely residence. In the day and age trying to find solitude was difficult on such a crowded planet. Then again if you had the pay of an admiral you could always find a nice part of the galaxy to get away on.

Off in the distance the sound of the approaching skycar was muffled by the cracks of thunder. The driver barely dodged a bolt of lightning as he parked in the garage. Two large panels on the roof gave way and let in the pricey vehicle, closing as it reached its rest. Once it was magnetized to the ground the door opened.

In full uniform an Admiral stepped out, stomping his way inside. Unlike most nights where he would come home to a fully lit house and open arms, he returned to darkness, and of course the figure responsible on the other side of the room. The eyes of his suit glowed an ominous red hue.

"Just who the hell are you and what are you doing in my home?" The admiral asked as he readied his sidearm.

"There's no need for violence, though the thought is not unwelcome." The other replied through a modulated voice output.

"Like hell there is, where is my family!?" He demanded again, taking the safety off.

In the shadows he never saw it but the masked figure pulled out a gun of his own. As soon as the next lightning bolt came down, briefly lighting up the room, a shot rang out. The gun flew out of the admiral's now bloodied hand, shattered from the shot.

"Damn. With all of this money I thought you would have gotten a better weapon, or was it from the Alliance?" He said as he slowly walked over to him, opening his helmet. "You said you gave me, my team your all when all we got was a knife in the back!"

"Why you miserable sack of shit! I gave you another opportunity to serve humanity, serve the Alliance, and this is how you repay me!? You stupid fuck!"

While closing the gap the assailant put his helmet back on. Reaching down with one arm the masked man hoisted his query up to his face. The admiral looked in fear as the red lenses flared back in his eyes. He closed his eyes as another bolt of lightning came down, the crackle of thunder not far off.

"I let them know what you did you bastard. You thought you would get along well, even with your wants? You are pathetic, too fucking pathetic. Both of you wanted something out of the Alliance so you used me to get you there, me and the others you made promises to."

"What? I didn't use you! Hackett gave me..."

With his other free hand the intruder punched him, hard. Letting go, he let the admiral fall to the floor. He reeled in pain as he lay on the floor, clutching at his jaw to see if it was still in place.

"You're good at lying...but not that good. We were given strict orders and followed them without question. Even if it meant wiping out an entire station and it being called an act of terror. Do you even know how many Cerberus operatives and mercs we killed? Do you?!" He yelled.

There was no answer from the man on the ground, only wimpering.

"Pathetic. I'm a hero as much as any of the others who went and did your dirty work and they deserved better than being labeled as terrorists by the Alliance. They deserved more than being hunted down by Al-Saddir and his thugs you selfish bastard!" He said, venom dripping with every word.

The admiral laughed, painfully, but he laughed. "You're right—they deserved outright execution. DEATH BY FIRING SQUAD!"

Picking him up by the collar of his uniform the intruder tossed him across the room, shattering a fine glass table. One hand reached to his side, he unholstered his sidearm. Broken laughing was heard through the crunching of glass as he approached.

"JUST WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT!" The intruder demanded, pointing the barrel of his gun at the man below him.

"You—Quinn." He said through a bloody grin. "I take everything away from you..." he stopped to cough. "I take everything away from you and yet you're still here? Damn—I was waiting for you to just fucking kill yourself like any good PTSD addled Alliance fuck. Guess I was wrong."

Holstering his sidearm Arthur reached down the broken table frame and picked up his old friend. With the help of the cybernetics he put in the arms of his armor he threw the admiral across the house again. His back hit the bookcase first. Memories preserved in frames and books came crashing to the ground.

The iridescent glow of an omnitool lit up the center of the room. Right as the admiral tried to lift up the weight of the bookcase Arthur stomped over and crushed one of his hands under an armored boot. A weak cry came from the man below as he tried to fight through the pain.

"Here Toa. I wanted you to have this before I left. A thank you gift." Arthur said as he swiped the screen.

He tossed a small device behind him as he walked away. A display came up as well as a video showing the inside of his house along with Arthur and his kids sitting at the table. Someone else came into view, one that brought tears to his eyes.

"I can't believe you..." She said as she turned back to smile at the kids, tears clearly in her eyes. "You used our comrade...your best friend just to get some damn promotion? I spent nights worrying about you when you went away and this is what you were doing? Is Arthur even the last one you did this to? Was I..." she stopped as tears rained down her cheeks.

Toa broke down as he watched Arthur sit there and play with the kids. Every now and again he would look back at the camera, grinning. All of the joy flushed out of his face, leaving only a feeling he had felt on Elysium, unadulterated dread and hate.

"I wasn't sure why you wanted to marry me in the first place. The promotion I got was great afterwards, but it didn't feel right after doing some thinking. Now after finding out how you got our promotions and that you did it just for the sex...you faked everything, everything just to get laid? You faked loving our children, faked the whole happy husband act just so you could have sex on demand, and feel good about what you did? I thought we had true love between us." She said as she started breaking down. Arthur strategically moved himself to block the kids view.

"No Sakura! It wasn't like...no, I...I can't lie to myself." Toa said as he stared at the wall across the room.

"But I guess it was all a lie. You had your trophy wife your promotion, and I lost a friend for you get it. Well you know what, you can keep your damn promotion." She said as she took off her ring, setting it somewhere off camera. "I'll keep the kids. Don't come looking for us."

The screen quickly switched to the inside of a skycar. Arthur's mask filled the screen as the sounds of rain patted all over the hood. Once he set it into autopilot mode he finally focused on the camera.

"Getting the information I needed to condemn you wasn't easy. Sakura was even more difficult than pulling everything off. You should know she recorded her message two days ago. Since then she's played you well, just as you played her. Do know Toa, I did nothing to your wife but give her the truth. You'll find the divorce papers hanging on the fridge. Oh and Toa, expect the alliance to call and soon, Hackett knows. Quinn, over and out."

The feed cut off and as it did the distant sound of sirens could be heard over the passing storm.

(Now...)

"After news got out I ordered the attack on Manchester station, I was branded a terrorist. The Alliance stripped me of my name and even went so far as to erase my name from the service logs on Elysium. So I ran as far as I could, swearing revenge on the Alliance and you. Then I met Cerberus. Even though we both knew the station was crawling with their operatives when it went down they still wanted me. They saw what I could not see, there was still potential in my aching frame. I could have purpose again."

"Why Cerberus? We both hated them!" Arthur yelled.

Toa scoffed, "At one point in time I could say the same thing. I never sat down with an operative until they met with me and opened my eyes. Art, they aren't the bad guys! They want what's best for humanity! All the Alliance is and ever shall be is a wasteful bureaucracy."

"Do you seriously believe all the propaganda? Even after all they've done..."

Another loud screech came from the speaker causing the trio to reel in pain.

"And what do you think the Turians did to our prisoners of war? All they wanted to do was get to know us better right? Not many of their people had to go underground after experimenting on us, raping our women, desecrating our rightful colony! All allowed because of the council and their favoritism! The other council races gave the Turians a slap on the wrist when they deserved the same status as the Quarians and the Batarians!"

"So what is your plan Toa, what is the endgame? Making bioweapons to secure humanity's future like a genophage for the Turians?" Arthur asked.

"Frankly that doesn't sound half bad." Tuvok added. "A sterility plague would teach them not to keep their filthy claws to themselves."

Arthur turned for a moment, giving the aged Krogan a glare. He shrugged back at his former partner, adding his contribution between the holographic image and Quinn. Turning back to the matter at hand Toa shook his head.

"My intentions are pure unlike Al-Saddir. He's been repurposed for another mission whereas I've been given one simple task." He said with a grin.

"Which would be?" Arthur asked.

"Oh you'll find out." Toa replied snapping his fingers.

As the sound echoed, marked panels in the ceiling opened up, dropping security drones on top of them. Tuvok handed Faranna off as he unloaded on the bots above. Arthur managed to land a few shots turning back now and again as they ran for the bar.

The Krogan struggled to dodge the incoming blasts as the drones purposefully targeted anything he could use as cover. Unlike other drones he had encountered, these were acting in a more calculative way. Port Hanshan was supposed to have average security measures, so it was obvious who reprogrammed them.

"I ain't taking any shit from any of these buckets of bolts!" Tuvok roared as he charged at the closest one.

Firing a concentrated shot at the drone it froze in place. He used one of the collapsed tables as a springboard to throw his entire weight on it, bringing it down with him as they came crashing to the ground. The sound of metal crunching underneath him put a smile on his face.

"Yeah, your budget bots aren't so tough now are they?" He laughed.

Humor came at a price as more panels opened up above the bar. Two more drones came in firing without cease at the lone target. Taking his shotgun and blasting the drone closest to him he turned to face the other drones when a rocket landed at his feet.

The explosion sent the Krogan flying into the window behind, cracks forming all over the surface. Tuvok rolled out of the impact, shaking off the shellshock as best as he could. He leveled his shotgun at the oncoming drones only for another rocket to send him flying, this time completely breaking through the glass and out into the blinding blizzard.

"TUVOK!" Arthur yelled from behind the bar.

Opening up his omnitool he attempted to access his hacking suite and shut the drones down, when the entire display disappeared. Faranna just barely pulled him out of his shock just long enough for him to drop down into cover as gunfire came from the drones above. He desperately tried to reopen his omnitool again and again, only to receive error messages.

"Shit! There has to be a military grade jamming signal somewhere nearby. Nothing else could have blocked me from accessing my omnitool." He yelled through the gunfire.

"But you can still shoot right?" She replied, pointing to the gun in his hand.

"Absolutely." He replied, staring down at the piece. "Guess we're doing this the old fashioned way."

Waiting for the drones to cease fire long enough to cool off their cores he peered over the counter and placed a few accurized rounds into the drone on the right. Two shots close to where the shield generator was shut it down, then one more went through the propulsion chamber. Right after the first drone went down the other opened up, now firing off rockets.

One went overhead, blowing a hole in the ceiling right above. Timing his shots, Arthur peeked out of cover again just as the drone loaded the next rocket in. He got off two shots near the shield generator just like the last, this time targeting the barrel of the turret. As the rocket made its way out, he pulled the trigger, loosing a shot which triggered the warhead as it left the chamber. The explosion shattered the drone into hundreds of pieces.

"Well I'll be damned." Arthur yelled, a grin gracing his face from ear to ear.

Faranna bolted from cover running over to the new open breezeway. She barely peeked out the window when the chill of the blizzard outside pushed her back in. A growl escaped her throat as she stomped over to the display where Toa once was.

"By the time I trace the source signal back to its origin this bastard is going to pay!" She said, angrily fiddling with her omnitool.

Disassembling the pistol into multiple pieces Arthur shook his head as walked on over. "That's not going to work. My omnitool still can't do anything much but tell time. Yours is probably..."

"Dammit!" She yelled throwing the device to the ground. "We can't just let him get away with killing Tuvok! He has to pay!"

Walking over to her he placed a hand on her shoulder. The words were coming into his head but he mostly thought of the good times. Faranna and Tuvok hated each other when their team started out. Their fights were legendary, leading to sparring matches day in and day out. Arthur never figured out how it all led to them being an item.

"I know the feeling, I do." Arthur replied, getting a little choked up with his words. "But..."

Suddenly the door on the other side of the room opened. Port Hanshan's private security services came pouring into the room with Captain Matsuo leading the charge. Weapons pointed at their direction until both of the surprised people were properly restrained.

"One of Shepard's crew? I knew we would have problems with you, especially after the incident in the garage." The captain said burying her face in her hand.

"Incident, what incident?" Arthur asked.

"None of your business. Take these two to Parasini san and see what she wants to with them. As for the rest of you close off the area."

(Thirty minutes later...)

"I left you onboard the ship, went up to peak 15 to find a lead on Saren, and I was told you 'went out to get a drink'. So do you always manage to destroy a bar when you get something to drink?" Shepard asked, hands on her hips.

"Well I was here to get a drink, but also get a little something else." He replied.

"And who is this Turian? That something else?" Gianna asked.

"My contact. She's an old friend of mine just trying to help me solve a mystery." He replied, looking over at Shepard.

"Parasini san, if I may interrupt. They destroyed an entire lobby, frightened our clientele, and ruined some of our security drones. Spectre's crew or not, they need to be held until..."

"Let them go Captain." Gianna replied.

The Captain looked on between her and Arthur, dumbfounded. She regretfully released the restraints on the two would be suspects and shook her head as she took a seat. Shepard closed the distance between her and Arthur grasping his collar as she put her other fist as close as she could to his face.

"Just what the hell went on down there? If I hadn't cashed in the favor I owed Gianna then you wouldn't be walking out of Port Hanshan." She asked in a hushed tone.

"Remember the messages I got when we were on Therum?" He asked receiving a nod. "They're from an old friend of mine. Faranna was going to give me some info on him but he came to me. Another old friend came in to try and help us but I don't know if he's alive."

"Damn." Shepard said backing off. "That was one hell of a drink." She replied, actually giving him a sideways grin.

"So you aren't mad at me?" He asked sheepishly.

Shepard scoffed, "Of course I'm mad at you, you went off by yourself in a port which is known for illegal experimentation. For all I know you could've been carted off by Geth to be experimented on."

"Geth?" Arthur asked in surprise. "Was that what happened in the garage?"

Off to the side the main door opened. The guards tensed up as a shivering mass was escorted into the room. Captain Matsuo even bolted up when the figure walked by.

"Quinn..." he muttered before he collapsed to the ground.

Arthur spun around and saw Tuvok laying on the ground, some icicles still hanging off his face. The guards escorting him put their rifles away and tried to help him up, but he lightly shoved them away. Faranna ran over to his side, wrapping both of her hands around his. The old Krogan grinned as she looked him in the eye.

"Now just who is this?" Captain Matsuo demanded.

"We found him outside shooting at a transport heading towards one of the peaks mam. He claimed he fell out the window into the ravine, climbed back up, and continued on with his mission he came here for." One of the guards replied.

"Down in the ravine? Just how the hell..."

"Redundant...nervous...system." Tuvok interrupted.

"Guess you need to improve your security drones." Arthur said to the Captain, a grin on his face.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you Arthur." The Old Krogan said with a groan. "I was shooting at a transport with a Cerberus ID. It just came from Port Hanshan supposedly carrying guns but we know better."

"Where was it going?" Arthur asked in surprise.

Before the Krogan could even utter a word Gianna jumped into the conversation. "Cerberus you say? Are you sure about that?"

"Lady I've been tracking these bastards all over the galaxy and not even for the pay. I was tracking the cargo from a freighter up until I found out an old friend was about to get a new hole in their head."

"Well I'm glad someone is looking out for me." Arthur replied.

The Krogan laughed. "I'm not talking about you smartass, I'm talking about the beautiful rose right in front of me. You're just an add on." Shepard snickered right behind Arthur as he Tuvok went on. "They picked up some large crates from a few ships already docked, acting as weapons salesman. They even stopped by your ship commander and exchanged a few crates."

Suddenly the commander broke out of her moment dread covering her face. Reaching up to her ear she turned her communicator back on, only to hear a relieved sigh from the Captain.

"Shepard you seriously have to leave your commlink on. We've got a major problem." Joker said, an unusual amount of worry in his tone.

"Report Joker!" She replied.

"Ow! Ok, ok, just remind me to turn the volume down again. So we ordered some new weapons from a local manufacturer and traded out a few crates of defunct rifles. Come to find out the weapons he gave us were faulty and somebody breached the engine core."

"WHAT!?" Shepard replied louder than before.

"Annnnd adjusting the volume again. Yeah, we have everybody sweeping the engine room, but we didn't find any tampering with it." He replied, his tone getting worse.

"Then what the hell happened? What exactly..."

"They took Tali. Our friendly Quartermaster and Garrus tried to stop them but we didn't find them until we opened up the Mako. They're both in the medical bay right now and Garrus is unconscious. If we hadn't gotten to him earlier...I don't know what would have happened."

"Just why the hell didn't you mention that earlier?! We're missing a crewmate?!" She yelled again into the earpiece.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm still trying to figure out how they did it themselves." Joker replied.

Off to the side Shepard noticed Arthur pulling Tuvok up off the floor brushing the melting ice off him. "You remember which direction the cargo truck went?" Arthur asked, seriousness in his tone.

"Yeah, yeah I do. You want to help reduce the Galaxy's pest problem?" Tuvok replied.

"It would be my pleasure."

—

 _On a side note, thank you all who have still been keeping up with this story and haven't jumped ship. These past few months have been crazy with a new job so it's been crazy with the writing schedule. I also got a little burned out churning out chapters as fast as I did, but don't worry this story shall continue!_


	10. Chapter 10: Siege of Peak 3

Shepard was calling out for Arthur to stop the whole time and never received a response. He did not suddenly go deaf, rather he chose to focus on the task ahead, another one which would require his all. More would be required after what Giana Parasini described of Peak 3.

The tower had more elaborate security than peak 15. Anoleis had written the facility off as a simple weapons testing/RD depot for an up and coming weapons manufacturer. The schematics, he hid away, detailing every last door and window told them more. Vast rooms would be used to supposedly store away weapons, but Tuvok and Arthur knew better. They had an idea who they would be dealing with.

Back aboard the Normandy Arthur made his way down to crew quarters, aiming to get to his bunk with Tuvok in tow. Shepard was not far behind, chasing the two now as she almost plowed through navigator Pressly. Just as she thought they were within reach the door to the elevator shut behind them. Her fist pounded on the surface in defeat as the elevator slowly made its way to the crew quarters.

Arthur checked the diagnostics on his armor in the crew quarters while the lift slowly settled on the floor below. Once the door opened Ashley and Wrex stood on the other side, Wrex had a hand on his shotgun and a look which could kill. Tuvok smirked at the somewhat younger Krogan, cracking his knuckles as he walked forward.

"I'm sorry Quinn but the Commander told us to hold you here before you went too far. Orders are orders" Ashley said holding out a hand to stop him.

"First off." Arthur said as he shoved her hand off to the side. "One of our crew is captured by the enemy and she needs our help. Two, I think I know which bastard specifically has her. So let me pass and we can both go about our ways, or do you seriously want this to go down?"

Ashely went wide-eyed at the threat. Even though a part of her told herself not to push things too far, that and Arthur had almost a head's length height advantage on her, she was an Alliance marine. No matter who was under threat or capture, you obeyed a superior's orders. She never planned on backing down, even against the odds.

Once she placed a hand on his shoulder again, he did not give her the same subtle swipe he did before. In one motion he wrenched her arm off his, locking it in place to begin a long and painful twist of the bones and muscle. Ashley tried fighting back with a punch to his chest and it fell flat against his pecs.

"Quinn this is crazy!" Ashley said through gritted teeth. "Why the hell are you freaking out over something the commander said she was going to handle the first place?"

"Because..." He said as he twisted her arm more, forcing her to her knees. "This is an old acquaintance of mine and I know his tactics, I know him. If anything were to happen to Tali, any of Shepard's crew like you or Wrex over there...I'd never forgive myself or the Commander. If I were involved and you all stayed behind then it could be pinned on me. I would spring the trap."

"Enough!" Wrex yelled as he tried to lift Arthur with his biotics.

The rescue attempt was short lived as Tuvok plowed through the other Krogan throwing themselves against the wall and into a fight of their own. Ashley slightly recovered, holding her throbbing arm close to her side. The thought of hesitating passed by her, but she had to follow through with her orders.

She ran straight at him leaping in the air to try and go straight for the head. Every moment of the next few seconds was all under Arthur's control, even as she lept onto his shoulders straddling his head and neck as she tried to throw him down. Putting the pain aside she brought both firsts down on and around his skull, but he never budged. He turned around of his own power, not through hers and wrapped both arms just under her breasts. Then with a show of force he threw her off and to the ground. The moment her skull hit the surface she started seeing stars in the ceiling.

Meanwhile on the other side of the hall Tuvok was holding his own against Wrex. The young Krogan biotic tried to lift the other and growled when it failed. Tuvok pointed to his suit and laughed, pounding his fist against his chest as he moved forward.

"My old team was equipped to deal with biotic-enhanced amateurs like you." He said, shooting a middle finger at the enraged merc in front of him. "Come whelp, and face your superior."

Just as he predicted Wrex took the bait. When his opponent came close enough, Tuvok slammed Wrex to the ground, he had control of the fight. As they tumbled around the hall he gave the go signal and Arthur ran into the crew quarters. Nobody was there except for a stray crewman here and there, all somewhat in shock of what was transpiring.

Dressing in and out of his gear was set in his mind to muscle memory. Solid plate armor came on over the mesh layer he zipped together. Clasps met their ends and fell into place, sealing as they went. He stopped for a moment as a figure walked up to him, one he had not seen in nearly two weeks.

" _You thought you could seal me away. You're cute you know that?_ " She said, a shiver traveling down his spine as she paused. " _You know what's bound to happen right? She'll end up just like me. History repeats itself again—ain't that a bosh'tet?_ "

"No." He shook his head as his nostrils flared. He never noticed the door opening on the other side of the room, or the blue glow which followed.

" _Don't act dumb Arthur. We both know the truth of the matter. Toa sounded serious when you last spoke to him. He's probably torturing her now, it won't be much longer._ "

"No!" He spoke up, louder than before.

" _But what could you do now that you couldn't before? You have an entire ship and port set against you. She will surely die...another let down._ "

"Never again!" He yelled, causing some of the crew in there with him to back away.

"Exactly my thoughts." Shepard said as she motioned for everyone else to leave the room. "I'm not even giving you a chance to stop Quinn. You had yours when Ashley stopped you at the elevator and she's now out on the floor. Now it's my turn."

Biotic fields encased his form. In any other situation Shepard would hold the advantage, that is with any other armor plating. She was able to slow him down, but Arthur still slowly marched over to where Shepard was, causing the commander to recoil in confusion. The sounds of the cybernetics running through the suit echoed across the room as they fought against the tide of raw, biotic power coming his way.

"I didn't want to do what I did to Ashley, but I can't seriously let you or anyone aboard the ship take the fall Commander. You don't know the monster you'll be facing, and trust me he will rip you apart. Toa has her and he's going to do something he will never regret because he's a sadistic bastard. He knows harming Tali is going to do something to me." He said, almost surprised at his honesty.

"Because of what happened with Kinja?" Shepard asked, straining to slow him down. "If you go in there and lose your mind, how are we going to stop you? What happens when you can't differentiate between your crew and the damned enemy? What happens if she or whatever these episodes are takes over?"

Walking up to the commander he placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped in place, taking a deep breath. "Because I won't lose my mind. I have people who can help me aboard the Normandy now and I promise you I will never enter such a dark place with them around, or if I do I know I can fight it."

Grabbing his hand she shoved it off to the side, shaking her head. "Bullshit, fucking bullshit Quinn! I just saw you lose it in there like a psychopath having an episode. Losing your head in battle is going to get you killed Quinn, and not just you but everyone else. I'm ordering you to stay here and let ME get my crew back."

"Tell me this 'commander', what makes you better suited for the job?" Tuvok stated, almost out of breath. "He could have easily done more than pat you on the shoulder and you threw every ounce of biotics in you at him. What does that say about the kind of people we face? Shit, I practically dismantled the whelp of a Krogan behind me."

Arthur crossed his arms as Shepard stared down at the floor. He recognized the look, he'd seen it many times before. She ran both of her hands through her hair as as she paced the hall, muttering something under her breath.

"...well...fuck it." She finished with a growl. "This goes against every sort of alliance regulation, chain of command, you name it! You want me to just step aside right after..."

"Let me stop you there Commander." Garrus interjected as he quietly entered the space, surprising everybody in the room.

"Garrus? I thought you were in the medbay?" Shepard asked, wide eyed as the Turian barely held himself up against the wall of the hallway.

"I—I was but I needed to talk to you about something. You're a Spectre Shepard, by definition you and everybody aboard is above Alliance command. Forget the regs and those rules because the enemy won't play by the book. Now our combat savvy friend here is used to fighting like this, aren't you?" He said falling to one knee, wincing as he dropped.

"True." Arthur replied crossing his arms.

"What is your point Garrus?" Shepard asked.

Blinking his eyes as he tried to focus his thoughts he looked up at the commander and said, "Let him do this Shepard. If he could easily take on you with your all your biotic potential in hand, what does that say about your odds in the field against the ones who took Tali? I mean I've even had Spectre training myself and they still caught me off guard. I'm asking you just this once, please overlook your pride and let them go through with this."

The commander thought about the concept for a moment. She looked back and forth between Arthur and Tuvok as they stared back at the obstinate Spectre in the room. They stood still for a few minutes more until Arthur stormed off towards the elevator, bringing Tuvok in tow.

She waited until they entered the elevator to speak up. "I'm just letting you know. If you do bring Tali back alive I'll let you stay aboard the ship...for now."

Both halted before bringing the elevator back to the main hall of the ship as Arthur replied. "And, if worse comes to worse and I don't?"

Turning around the Commander reached for her pistol and pointed it straight at him. "I'll treat you and your friend here as mutineers. Depending on how I feel I might just leave you here for Captain Matsuo to detain until the next alliance patrol stops by."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Arthur replied, sending him and Tuvok up to the main deck.

Just as the door shut Garrus finally collapsed to the floor. Arthur never saw it but he knew he would have to thank him if he ever got back. The older Krogan next to him shifted in his armor as the lift moved on.

"Sure you're ok with this?" Tuvok asked.

"What do you mean?" Arthur replied, tapping the weapon holstered to his leg.

"Throwing yourself into the past again, the fire. You and I both know this guy is getting help from Cerberus and more importantly the hard to kill bastard Al-Saddir."

"That I don't care about. There's a time in our lives where we just have to move on, which is ironic coming from me." Arthur said with a snicker. "Holding onto the shit he put me through isn't going to help me get better. You know Shepard was right about me losing it in the crew quarters? I saw her again Tu...I saw Kinja. I've been seeing her for some time." Arthur said while trying to redirect his focus on his suit diagnostics.

"Damn." Tuvok replied. "Those kinds of battle scars are the worst. Reminds me the time I tried to protect the female camp all on my own. Long story short, I got attached to somebody and the sounds of thresher maws still make me jump like a pyjak under fire."

"I didn't think anything ever did." Arthur said, surprise in his tone.

The old warrior grunted. "Trust me kid. You live as long as I have see what I saw, you would never shut your eyes."

The door opened up to the the staircase with Kaidan, Liara, and a few of the other crew members standing by with weapons in hand, now lowered. Tuvok scoffed as he walked on by, taking a glare from Kaidan and a couple of others. Walking through the CIC they received the same warm and receptive looks they got when they left the lift.

Passing by the cockpit Joker spun around and tried to get their attention. Tuvok went out the airlock as Arthur stayed behind, wanting to hear what the pilot had to say. Looking back at everyone in the CIC he gave them a nod to return back to their business and they quietly did so.

"You wanted to say something Joker?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah well, I haven't really known you for long or talked much but I've never seen anybody piss off the commander as bad as you did and walk away. You know if she had given the order they would have shredded the elevator? Things were more tense than Eden Prime. I don't know how you did it or what you did, bottom line—bring Tali back. Please and with a cherry on top." Joker added, with more sincerity than he had ever spoken with around him.

"Don't worry. She's coming back."

1 hour away, Peak 3...

The Mako came to a halt as the fire finally ceased. Impact marks riddled the hull of the tank, yet it still made the trek. A testament to alliance engineering and more importantly the teamwork of a now defunct black ops squad.

A hatch opened on the side letting Arthur and Tuvok jump out first as Faranna followed in tow. Winds whipped the exterior of their armors and firearms as they moved tactically towards the heavily fortified entrance. The Turian engineer halted behind a large enough boulder to scout out the entryway, now crawling with Cerberus personnel.

"How bad is it Faranna?" Arthur asked.

"Soooo, do you remember Trident at all?" She replied through the comms.

"Which part? The one where we got our asses ambushed or the part where we got shit intel from that slimy Salarian which almost got us killed?" Tuvok added.

"Ugh, nevermind. These guys have some pretty top of the line defenses set up. The blueprints you sent me were incomplete. This Anoleis guy had never read over blueprints or there is something more." She replied.

"So basically it's another Salarian fucking us over right?" Tuvok asked.

"Never mind that you two. We need to move in now!" Arthur said as he moved to the boulder just ahead.

Turning behind to his squad mates he signaled them forward, tactically shifting from natural formation to natural formation until they lined up behind a barrier. They were close enough to make out the chatter between the guards outside and the whirring of the heater keeping them warm. Arthur looked over the top and took aim at the turret above. Loading a specialized hook into his wrist mounted launcher he fired it at the automated defense.

Both guards never discerned the small noise from the harsh winds whipping by, just continuing to talk about home. Omnitool now open Arthur sent bogus code after bogus code probing at the defenses until the local firewall gave way. Once in he tried turning the turret over to him only for the omnitool to automatically close out on him.

"Did you do that?" Faranna asked.

"No." He replied. "Shit, I think they know we are here."

Alarms suddenly blared from the building. Panels sealed the main entrance as a couple more guards came pouring out. With their rifles at the ready they charged out towards their barrier, scanning for the source of the hack attack.

Flicking through the diagnostics in his suit, Arthur was able to pull up his omnitool again. Faranna and Tuvok became antsy as he finally pulled up the menu he had been searching for and pressed the execute button. Off in the distance the Mako came to life, the turret swiveled towards the building as the guards opened fire on the tank.

Impacts were absorbed by the hull as the secondary gun made short work of the group. Then with some readjustment the cannon ripped through the security door covering the main entrance, sending shrapnel all over the ground and inside. Now with an opening Arthur turned his omnitool off, jumping over the barricade as the flames engulfed what was the front door.

The others followed closely, weapons at the ready as they walked past multilated Cerberus agents. Tuvok took shots at the occasional guard, putting them out of their misery. Eventually they came upon Arthur interrogating one of the guards who was grasping her leg in pain.

"Talk!" He demanded as he pointed the gun at her head.

"Our new investors with their hostile takeover...their leader said someone would come in guns blazing. I didn't believe a word and I never knew there would be—be explosions and fire. All we were here to do was research. There never was any need for violence." She said, trying to catch her breath.

"I don't care about shit going south for you. I want to know where Toa is! Tell me now!" He yelled, causing her to tear up.

"Ok, ok! Please just give me some medigel. I'm going to bleed out if I don't get this fixed." She replied through gritted teeth.

Tuvok shook his head. "Nows not the time to grow a conscience. We all know what these Varren humpers did and are capable of. How do we know she hasn't experimented on people before?" Mom

"People? What are you talking about? We're just a weapons research firm. We just got bought out recently by a competitor and..."

Arthur fired a shot off close to where she was holding her leg, causing her to jump. Faranna grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back. He looked back at her as she shook her head in disgust.

"You're seriously going to buy her sob story? After all the times you know who has done something just like this?" Arthur asked, coming off as wounded.

"How can you guarantee she's lying?" Faranna asked. "For all we know you could be pulling the trigger on an innocent bystander who already had a gun pointed to her head and you're just making things worse!"

Tuvok spat at the ground below him and growled at the scientist at his feet. "Do I seriously have to remind you again what these bastards do for a— You know what? Fuck this, I'm going to search the hall ahead. Need to find a few more heads to smash in anyways instead of this pansy shit."

The hulking mass of murder left the group and went ahead as Faranna shook her head. Arthur holstered his weapon as he readied a dosage of medigel. He felt just like Tuvok did, skeptical as always, only he did not like to use words as much. He knew why they got along so well.

The scientist sighed with relief as the medigel kicked in and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you for seeing reason. Please be careful up ahead. Cerberus brought in heavy security just a couple of hours ago and they started ordering us around."

Arthur looked back at Faranna who was sporting a half smile. He motioned her to follow him down the hall where Tuvok went. Before the door ahead could even open Arthur spun around to grab Faranna and shoved her out of the way as an impact hit his shields.

There stood the scientist with a shotgun in hand. A holographic field dissipated all around her to reveal combat armor and other firearms. The look on Faranna's face could only describe what anyone else fooled by the charade would have felt.

"What gave me away?" The agent asked.

"When you brought up your 'investor' again you called them Cerberus. A child with the attention span of a hungry varren could have noticed that." He replied.

"Guess I'll have to work on that when I'm finished with you!" She yelled, charging at him with her shotgun.

Unknown to the other two in the room, some of the supposedly dead guards started getting up, the ones not shot by Tuvok of course. Gunfire erupted in the corridor as Faranna ran for cover while Arthur tangled with the brazen Cerberus agent. He slapped the shotgun away as she tried to run him through with the fixed bayonet on the front.

She immediately went to hand to hand which was a challenge for Arthur in his bulky armor, but he could manage with what he had. Reaching to her side she pulled out a knife and slashed at her opponent with precision strikes, indicating some kind of formal CQC training. Reading her movements he waited for the time to strike, even after she cut him a few times through the openings in his armor.

Faranna on the other hand was pinned down behind a small pile of crates, only managing to take a few shots when some of their weapons overheated. Inbetween the barrages an idea came to mind, probably the only chance both her and Arthur were going to get out of this fight alive. She never doubted his ability, but the risks on this mission were high, backup was needed.

With one jab from the knife Arthur finally had her. Catching her forearm under his right arm he held it in place and applied pressure. The cybernetics enhancing his suit applied just enough to break the bone, eliciting a cry of pain from the attempted killer. As the knife fell out of her hand he reached to his side to brandish his own. She tried to stop him mid thrust, but the technology of his suit and the momentum sent the blade right through her visor. Blood seeped from the wound as her body fell limp to the ground.

Out from behind him he heard a growing noise, building with intensity as it came closer and closer. Then like a bat out of hell Tuvok came roaring into the room, shoving Arthur out of the way. Firing a carnage blast off to his left he disintegrated a Cerberus agent out in the open. He managed to take a few shots, his shields held up. Reaching behind him as he ran he fixed the blade on his side to the barrel of his shotgun.

"WHO WANTS TO EAT?! I'VE GOT YOUR DAILY SERVING RIGHT HERE!" He yelled as he charged the other two whittling down his shields.

The Krogan roared as he impaled the first agent, throwing him into the other. Then with enough force he ran both of them through using all of his strength and maybe some adrenaline, roaring as he held them high. Faranna rolled her eyes as he winked in her direction.

"C'mon babe, I did the best I could compared to our fearless leader." He said as he threw the two corpses to the ground.

Arthur snickered at the jab, pulling the knife out of his former opponent. He wiped the blade clean against his armor as he sheathed it back into place. Checking his omnitool he readjusted his suits cybernetics for the next phase of their plan.

"We've wasted enough time here. We need to get moving." Arthur said as he charged on ahead.

"Wait a minute Arthur!" Faranna yelled as she chased him down.

"Why Wait?" Tuvok replied as he caught up to the group. "If this Cerberus lackey works for Al-Saddir then the Quarian girl is in trouble."

"I'm not questioning that hot stuff...I just think we need to be more cautious about our approach. Charging in could get us killed." She replied.

"Or it could get Tali killed if we hesitate." Arthur interjected. "If you're both going to wait around then I'm moving ahead."

Turning from the group he ran forward with his gun unholstered scanning the walls all around. Tuvok and Faranna ran up to catch up with him, slowing down as some turrets came down from the ceiling overhead. Even with the threats, Arthur ran on tossing an EMP charge on the ceiling between the two.

A team of guards stood ready down the hall. Faranna opened her mouth to try and stop Arthur but he was now in a full on sprint. The squad opened fire at the charging soldier, landing some solid hits but nothing his shields could not stop. As soon as he ran close enough he leapt over the barrier stomping the first soldier to the ground and dropped a grenade. The other two froze in shock as Arthur leapt out of the blast radius, continuing his mad dash.

Soon the only way Faranna could contact him was through their comms. He only caught glimpses of what she was saying along with some laughs from Tuvok and maybe a cheer. As he sprinted through another open doorway the door sealed shut behind him. Turrets popped down from the ceiling in all four corners of the sparse room.

Laughter erupted from the intercom up above, as they opened fire. Arthur ran for cover behind a pillar as he hastily chucked a grenade in one of the corners. He never saw where it landed, but the explosion following told him what he wanted to know.

Suddenly the firing stopped. Arthur peeked around to see the turrets were still out, just paused. He took a deep breath only imagining what diabolical ideas Toa had. One could only imagine the thoughts of a man who has lost everything.

"Arthur Quinn, just when I thought the experiments around here were getting dull." Toa said, the sounds of modulated screaming following his monologue.

"Damn it Toa! Let the Quarian go and take..."

"You? Ha ha ha ha ha ha! You're naive to think I would ever want to experiment on you. No Quinn, I want you dead, fucking dead and gone. I was just trying to think of what I should sick on you other than disposable gun emplacements." He said with a laugh.

A chill ran down Arthur's spine as Toa audibly licked his lips. While he took the pause Arthur prepared another grenade along with his handgun and swiveled from his hiding spot. The grenade flew out of his hand and right beside a stationary turret, turning the tech to scrap. Aiming his weapon down towards the other turret he landed a few hits on its armor, dropping the last one after taking out the power line. A brief humming noise emanated from the turret before its barrel blew off.

Staring down at the last turret Arthur aimed to take the shot and quickly retreated when it aimed straight for him. Shots spat out of its barrel, plastering the pillar with impacts. Toa laughed as he retracted the turret back into its home, continuing even as everything else grew silent.

"You need help Toa, you sound like a madman." Arthur said as he peeked from behind cover.

"Help me? Ha! Don't even try humor Quinn, I know what kind of help you mean. Tell you what, why don't you help me? I've got some experiments just itching to test out their capabilities. Hope you enjoy." He finished as the room grew silent.

Lights went out all across the room, forcing him to turn on his omnivision. Scanning the room over he saw a door open on the other side and he ran for it. He never stopped to see if there were any traps, only because he knew the mechanism was triggered as soon as he walked in.

All through his mad dash he could hear laughing echoing down the hall around him. Even so he bolted head first into the next room and took cover behind the closest barricade. Once he was in the laughing stopped, only silence coated the room with its deafening tone. His curiosity got the best of him, causing him to peer around at the new room.

The site was not unfamiliar, people of all sorts suspended in unknown fluids. Question was whether they could be rescued. Every other time he had encountered Cerberus the experimentation had already stripped away their test subject's faculties making them a hinderance more than anything else. All part of their plan to evaluate weakness without retaliation.

Images before him made him more and more frustrated as he saw a Turian pried open on an operating table. There was no helping him, the look in his eyes told him he had been dead for a day or so. The person inside Arthur, the good Arthur questioned why he could not have made it sooner while the other knew how he could solve it, revenge.

Before each of the test tubes was a console which displayed the stats for each of the occupants. Arthur glared down from time to time checking for good vitals and saw a steady pulse every time. Maybe just maybe he could let all of them out...

"Ah so you've seen the holding room have you? Quite the diverse supply we have coming to us. Our suppliers only give us the best of each breed." Toa said, snickering through the speaker.

Arthur had enough. "All right, I thought I could talk you down at first, maybe. Now I realize what you've let yourself become..."

"LET?!" The sound system blared. "Nobody simply 'let' anything happen, YOU did this!"

Walking past one tank Arthur nearly dropped to his knees. There sat a Salarian child in the tank, suspended by biofluids. Scratch marks littered his body where only surgeons had gone before.

"I didn't do shit Toa. All I did was what they told us on drills and maybe just maybe even things out. Everything since then has been all you, including this...this..." Arthur stopped as he noticed a slight trembling in his right hand.

"What's wrong Quinn? Feeling something for the monsters which rule this galaxy? A galaxy which should belong to humanity?"

"ENOUGH!" Arthur said, quickly unleashing a salvo of shots where Toa's voice was coming from. "Enough dancing around! I'm going to enjoy taking you down Toa!"

"Ha!" Toa replied through the speaker on the console of every tube. "Now that's the Arthur I wanted! Unhinged, ready to take the fight to anybody and fuck the consequences! Good, now let's see just how far along you are."

As he finished, pod after pod began to drain into the floor below, including the one next to him. One by one the occupants began to move, but barely. Each and every one seemed to be in a daze as they stood on their own two feet. Arthur turned to the kid's pod and worked on the console, typing in some general commands to see if the pod would react.

A chill went down his spine when he heard a slight hissing noise erupt from the pods around him. Now panicking with his omnitool he started throwing heavy code at the firewall to try and break through or at least halt whatever was going on, but he seemed to be all too late to try anything. Before he knew it the occupants of each pod was banging on it madly. Some looked over to their sides to find small hidden compartments, only now visible.

He recoiled in horror as they raised handguns and SMGs at the protective glass and blew their way out. The color in his face nearly vanished when he saw the kid do the same. Arthur swallowed hard as men, women, and children turned their weapons towards him.

"Quite interesting what months of surgery, corrective training, chemicals of neuroscience present, and the theft of hope can do to anybody...group 647, attack Arthur Quinn."

Reflexes kicked in as shots flew his way. He leveled his weapon just in time to land a crippling shot on a Turian running towards him. He crumpled to the ground clutching at his knee. The lack of armor on their part made it easy to handle them, just their sheer numbers alone were what could turn the fight.

Further shots away from him were intended to pacify, not kill. One Salarian female he shot her knee out, sending her to the ground. The kid he somehow lost track of, and the burly Turian charging straight for him aided. Arthur just had enough time to activate the magnets in his boots and lock his armor as the Turian literally bounced off of him. Arthur snickered under his helmet as he crushed his hand, reaching for a stray handgun on the floor.

Right behind him the kid from earlier suddenly reappeared. Rounds of SMG shots bounced off his armor, but his shields were already taking enough of a beating from all around. Before he could turn off the mag locks his eye widened at the warning signs on his HUD.

"Oh shit..." he got out as the shots started hitting his plating.

A few stray shots found their homes in his legs and one in his lower left shoulder. The pain was bearable for the moment, but only because of the auto medi-gel kicking in. Shielding his eyes with his arms he charged straight at the line of guns in front of him and plowed through two Asari. With only adrenaline and the mechanics of his suit he picked up one of the women and tossed them into the crowd. Guns flew everywhere as they scrambled to flee the unexpected.

"Hmm, here I thought you would be dead by now. A damn shame there isn't a way to pick up the pace...oh wait I almost forgot!" Toa said with a snap.

Suddenly the gunfire stopped all around him. He looked around as the subjects just stared all around them, dazed and confused. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he was helped up to his feet by hands smaller than his own. The Salarian child who had been shooting at him just earlier was smiling up at him.

"I'm...so sorry." Arthur said looking at the crowd around him.

"It's fine." Replied a random Turian holding his shoulder. "He was manipulating us through cybernetics they installed, think they called them neural nets?"

"You all need to get out of her..." Arthur stopped as the lights on the room turned red.

 _Warning! Warning! Chamber is compromised! Initiating contingency protocol!_

The voice of the PA systems was supposed to sound assuring, but Arthur knew better. Aiming his handgun at the turret emplacements he waited for them to come down. In the other hand he picked up another handgun off the floor and aimed it at the opposite port.

"Everyone find cover wherever you can!" Arthur yelled.

All was for naught. The turrets never came down, but his suit picked something up. He nearly dropped both weapons when a familiar icon flickered in his suit. Running over to the Salarian child he ran and picked him up from the Turian cradling him. He ran for the closest door as he shouted commands into his suit.

His omnitool came up as he reached the door. The enhanced sensors in his helmet could pick up voices on the other side. Arthur tried shooting predatory code at the door lock, before he outright began to shout.

"OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN THE DOOR!" He screamed through the mic in his suit.

Off to the side he noticed the child next to him keel over. The coughs started as something minor, then the deteriorating began as the coughs became more violent. Arthur used both of his hands to try and pry the door open but the seals were closed too tight. He could hear someone from the other side attempt the same, maybe Tuvok.

Off behind him, one by one people started collapsing to the ground. Their faces changing color as they started coughing up blood, others outright choking. Tears rolled down the soldiers eyes as he finally crammed both of his hands into the small opening he made.

"Use rebreathers before you open the door!" He yelled into his comms.

"We know Arthur, I picked up everything going on inside when I breached the security cameras."

"WHY NOT OPEN THE DOOR!" Arthur yelled, anger seething.

"Don't you think I tried that! Toa literally rerouted the fire wall before I could break into the locking mechanism."

Arthur looked down to his side...and he never should have. His knees grew heavy as he fell down to the ground. Hands trembling he reached down to pick up the Salarian boy. Not once did he notice the door finally opening.

 _Contagion pacified. Standard operating procedure resumed._

"Arthur?" A gruff voice called him off to his right.

The heavy hand on his shoulder was never responded to. Instead he stared into the cold eyes of the boy in his arms, eyes watered and face now pale. Even in his armor, Arthur cradled the kid as if he was his own and whispered something to him. Without a word to the two standing behind him he walked over to the closest empty table and laid him on it.

"Hey Arthur...you might need this." Faranna said handing him a large fabric cloth from the shelf next to her.

He silently nodded in response draping it over the motionless body. A hand reached out behind him, barely touching his shoulder, this one was heavier. Turning barely to the side he saw a solemn look on the Krogan's face, one he saw only on two missions before.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a few flashes. Faranna was taking evidence, just like she did back in her early career. Instead of investigating cold cases on Palaven she was now building a case file the size of the Citadel for what would be a reckoning.

Finally the silence was broken in a way. Without rhyme or reason Arthur turned off towards the door. Tuvok raced after him and signaled for Faranna to follow in suit. She swiped her omnitool away as she ran after them.

"Arthur slow down!" Tuvok yelled into the headset.

"I thought that was my line?" Faranna probed, trying to lighten the mood.

There was no response, just movement.

Then the PA system turned on once more.

"Ah, so I see understand what kind of lengths you must achieve to kill me. There are victories in war, but not all are heroic at all. No, there are Pyrrhic victories as well, the worst kind and to some...the absolute best. We've been through quite a few like that haven't we Arthur?"

Silence continued...

"Maybe I should call you Art? You liked that name didn't you? No, silly me I forgot! Sakura gave you that name when she found you hand a creative streak. Ha ha! A soldier who loved paint, who would've thought..."

Arthur began to press himself harder as he ran faster down the hall, his enhancements propelling him forward.

"You two got along so well together I thought you two would end up hitched when we took leave at Arcturus station. We all thought you would...shame how I ended up with her, isn't that right miss, oh I forget your name. Here let's give a little incentive."

Painful screams echoed throughout the hall. Tuvok's face had almost permanently twisted into a snarl while Faranna muttered on about the spirits. Arthur unexpectedly flicked on his omnitool and activated a hidden feature on his suit. Before the rest of the team knew it Arthur had small jets blasting him towards the security door ahead.

Overloading one of the handguns he picked up he chucked it at the center of the door. The explosion made a sizable dent in the frame, and he would add the rest. Barreling through what remained he flew into a bright open room, with a sizable contingent of guard standing around him.

Each readied their weapons and quickly regretted the lack of speedy reaction. With the jets shooting him forward he rushed the closest guard and ripped the rifle from his hands. Both hands on the guard's helmet he quickly twisted it in a sickening way. As soon as the gunman went limp he held the body in his arms using the dead weight as a shield.

Rifle in the other hand he freely blasted away as they pelted their former comrade in fear. Readying the rifle in hand with voice commands from his helmet Arthur overloaded the vents on the gun, allowing for a continuous burst of fire spraying out in front of him. A stream of bullets ripped right through the two guards trying to duck behind a barricade.

Right after they fell to the ground the last guard dropped his rifle to the ground, falling to his knees. He trembled, waiting for the shots to come but they never did. Instead when he looked up he only saw his dead buddy on the floor, staying completely still. Not once did he look to see the looming shadow behind him.

"You think you deserve mercy because you deserted your comrades? Fuck you." Arthur said as he grabbed both of the guards arms and pressed a boot against his back.

"No! Please no! I threw down...aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed as Arthur threw on the cybernetics, nearly ripping both the guard's arms off. "AAAAAAAAAAAUGH..."

The guard collapsed to the ground, his head spun around almost backwards. Dropping the guard Arthur took the rifle he had earlier and attached it to his back. Without even looking back to the shocked Turian and Krogan entering the room he began to sprint down the hallway."

"Arthur stop it damn you!" Faranna yelled.

"Stop it Arthur oh please will you never shut up!" Toa yelled through their ear pieces. "He's not listening to you fringe head, he's combat focused! Of course you would never understand that yourself coming from one of the 'privileged' council races. Me and Art here had to earn our keep in the galaxy while you and your people bitched about our legitimacy. So do us all a favor and leave this to the combat seasoned."

Out of the doorway a secondary security door came down right before Faranna and Tuvok. The Krogan tried blasting at the door with his shotgun as the Turian attempted to improvise with hacking techniques. She threw every type of code out to try and force her way through, but Toa countered. Before she could shut down her omnitool the device turned off on its own, a small laugh echoing through the sound piece before completely shutting down.

Arthur continuing barreling ahead until he came to an unmarked intersection. Looking all around he searched for indications of any kind, maybe even an emergency sign, when suddenly the lights went down. Aiming his handgun down each of the corridors he waited for the worst to come, maybe it would be a turret this time, a few squads of guards, or a trap. What appeared before him instead was a series of flashing lights going down the corridor to his right.

"Come along Art...it is finally time."

Nothing else mattered at this point. He raced down the hall as more pained screams belted his ears. Every time he closed his eyes he saw a shadow running ahead of him. In the back of his mind he knew what it was, but he tried putting it all back in the dark, far from prying eyes.

" _The end is near_." She whispered as she ran circles around him. " _You can feel it in your bones too right?"_

"No..."

" _You can keep soldiering on, but you can't hold the line forever. She dies, you snap, Toa dies gurgling his own blood and then you go back to your star struck career as a mercenary, that is if Shepard doesn't kill you first._ "

"No!"

" _Getting burned is bad, trust me I know, but it would be much better than getting ripped limb from limb by an angry spectre. So just...let it go, let them all go and forget about what is this failure."_

"I can't! I WON'T!"

The sound of doors opening were accompanied by the sound of armor hitting the ground below. Arthur rolled to get up but was only kicked back down. Right as he got a sight of his attacker there was a bright light turned on from above. His visor tried to adjust, but the looming shadow walking towards him quickly aided.

"It's over Art, have a look." He said as he snapped his fingers.

Lights went down, only to power up in a connecting chamber. There Tali was held up by robotic arms, tubes were being connected to various ports in her suit. All Arthur could hear was the beat of his own heart.

Toa kneeled down, looking straight into Arthur's visor. A grin covered his features beneath his own.

"Yes...YES! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hahahahahahahahahahahahahah ha! The conditions are near perfect right? Hmph, if only I had been there when Al-Saddir did the same to Kenja. Now I guess I get to see your reaction, just with a different Quarian. Actually, scratch that, you can't tell the difference they all probably, OOOF!" Toa stopped as Arthur fired a fist right into his gut.

"I'm going to rip your fucking face off." He said in a dark tone.

Toa nodded in approval, "Good then I'm doing something right."

Standing up he readied his fists as did Toa. A flashback to when they sparred in their barracks back at boot camp. Everyone was around them from Sakura to Korkov, they had been waiting for this moment. Arthur was the best at hand to hand while Toa was better with quick take downs. People expected Arthur to easily win the fight, but it never was that simple.

Toa came in throwing a series of punches, which Arthur blocked. Even in the bulky armor he was in, the cybernetics along with his natural reflexes picked up the slack. Then out of nowhere two soldiers dropped from the ceiling behind them. They were different from any of the others he had seen, implants and enhancements visible.

"Seems you can't beat me on a fair fight Toa! You always had to complicate things!" Arthur yelled.

Back in the barracks Arthur was winning the fight. He had broken through several blocks as shown on Toa's battered frame. Unknown to the soon to be victor Toa had nodded off to the Tonga twins behind him. Right as he was about to deliver the haymaker to end their little fight both of his arms were held back. The Tonga held him back as Toa got back up, a grin on his face.

"Thought you should remember Arthur, you almost had me that day. It's also the moment I convinced Sakura I was the strongest of the two." To replied as the soldiers closed in on Arthur.

Both warriors drew blades from their sheathes, heat signatures emanating from the weapons. Arthur steadied as he pressed an icon on his omnitool opening a side compartment on his thigh. A blade handle came out as he reached down. Slowly the metal protracted itself out presenting a somewhat thinner and serrated version of what they other two held before him.

Taking his stance Arthur waited as Toa drew his own weapon and led the charge. All three came at once, shifting around to get better angles on him. Arthur defected the first to come at him from his right, using his weight throw the soldier off hers. The other from his left struck his left arm, managing to strip off the shoulder armor. He quickly turned off that direction to counter the blade only to drop to one knee as he felt a sharp, searing pain go through his right knee.

"Ha ha ha ha! KNEEL!" Toa said with a smile.

Meanwhile in the hallways outside Tuvok and Faranna had changed plans they took another route using ingenuity and brute force. Faranna found a weak point in the wall to the right of the door and opened it up. It led them into a storage area filled to the brim with medical supplies and hazardous containers.

"Tuvok, you see these canisters?" Faranna said, snapping pictures.

"Yeah..." he said with a sigh. "I recognize these things all too well. It's what they used to try and purge us out of their facility on Trident."

"Yes, but why do these look so different? They took no time to camouflage them and..."

"Babe! I found canisters with tubes attached!" Tuvok yelled aiming his flashlight along the wall.

"Ok, but where do they lead?" She asked shining her own light around the ceiling.

Tuvok followed the trail until they stopped just at the door in front of them. They went right above the door and into the next room. Faranna caught on and opened her omnitool in front of the door, waving it over the lock. The familiar shade of red never changed, and the Turian cursed under her breath.

"Can't you, you know hack into it?" Tuvok asked.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" She shot back. "It's not like I can just magically wave my hand and..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" a voice screamed from the other side.

Just as they both looked back they saw a thick, black fog move through the tubes. Faranna's eyes widened as she quickly filtered through her programs shooting codes at the firewall around the door. Tuvok simply reached up and grabbed the tubes in one hand holding them shut.

"I don't know how much of this made it through but you need to hurry! If I hold on for too long it could blow and the gas would kill us."

In the room they were trying to break in first Arthur was getting torn to shreds. His left arm was already cut up and bad while his right knee was literally being held together by the cybernetics in his suit. Blood was dripping from the openings in his armor.

"You...f-f-fucking coward." Arthur said with a shiver.

"Look who's talking? You go behind my back and convince my wife to leave me and take the kids while you get off a free man? I WENT TO PRISON! YOU WERE THE ONE THAT COMMITTED HIGH TREASON AND YOU GOT TO STAY FREE! FUCK YOU ARTHUR!"

Arthur laughed as he looked around him, both soldiers were finally down, one missing her head and another was half the man he used to be. Readying his blade he looked off to his left as screams emanated from the room adjacent. Suddenly the memories started flooding back and he dropped to one knee again.

"It's all flooding back isn't it? The Quarian you thought you loved died horribly. Heh, it's funny thinking about it all in the light of everything. This wouldn't be the first time I took something you cared about."

Arthur's head bolted upward at the statement. "What...what do you mean?" He said, still shivering.

"It's simple." He said as he walked on over blade at the ready. Arthur attempted to block it only to have the blade struck out of his hand. His eyes widened as Toa slashed downwards sending a massive shockwave of pain through Arthur's body. He fell forward at Toa's armored feet.

The trembling became worse as his nerves caught up to the realization...his arm was gone. The heat from the blade cauterized the wound, being a clean cut and all. Toa simply laughed as he kicked his old friend across the floor.

"Oh you stupid bastard. You were always the more investigative one. Do you seriously think Al-Saddir alone would soil his hands?" Toa said as he kneeled down. "I enjoyed Viza's death, planned it all out actually."

Just as Toa uttered the last word the door in the other room opened. Alarms went off as he turned to see a Turian strapping one of the safety masks to her face and toss another behind her. She reached for each of the tubes, severing each with a wave of her omnitool. Rage surged through Toa's throat as he threw his blade to the ground. With a wave of his omnitool a turret dropped down from the ceiling.

Faranna immediately reacted to defense, rolling away from the Quarian before as she fired above. Throwing an overload at the turret it ceased fire before it blew up into millions of pieces. With her sidearm now put away she went back to removing the tubes. As the last tube fell away the arms around Tali came to life, one grabbing one arm while the other grabbed her other.

"If I can't kill her one way I'll kill her another!" Toa yelled through the speaker above.

Both Faranna and Tali grunted as they fought against the arms, but the machine was working overtime against them. Keeping one hand on the arm next to her Faranna tried to break into the hardware controlling the arms, only for her omnitool to disappear. She knew who it was and turned towards the glass to see a smiling madman on the other side and a very pale looking Arthur.

"Spirits help me now, spirits help me now." She repeated to herself.

"Ok, enough of this shit!" Came a deep voice from down the hall.

Tuvok ran into the room with his shotgun at the ready. Aiming down at the base of each arm Tuvok assailed the joints with his shotgun blasting them apart as well as the floor around them. One by one the arms fell and so did an exhausted Tali. A thick black fog started pouring out of the tubes and into the room causing Toa to shake his head.

"Hmm, guess I need to add better security next time." He said scratching at the scruff on his chin.

Unknown to him Arthur, on the verge of losing consciousness, pulled himself together behind the man. Opening the small compartment on his chest a combat knife popped out, the alliance logo etched into the blade. He limped over to the unsuspecting monster in front of him and waited for the perfect moment. As soon as Toa turned around Arthur stabbed him below the belt.

Toa couldn't even scream as Arthur pulled the blade out and stabbed him in the abdomen. The monster now kneeling before him grasped at his armor, the look in his eyes begged him mercy, but none would be granted. Arthur fell back on his rear, blade still in hand.

"This...this..."Toa said clutching his stomach. "You were supposed to be dead, and she was too! They promised to tell me where Sakura and the kids were hiding, but now..."

"Now what? You lost them permanently and you know it you self-centered bastard. Eat shit!" He said as he lunged forward and planted the blade in Toa's chest, throwing the man backwards.

"Gah! You...win...Art...but...not for long...you've lost too much blood and...the door is uncrackable." He said between ragged breaths.

Eventually Toa stopped breathing. Arthur looked down at his former comrade and closed his eyelids shut. Rolling off of him Arthur took in his last words and shook his head. The room was getting colder by the second and he had a feeling nothing would change.

Everything went out.

(Note from the author)

 **Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Things got chaotic in the latter part of 2019 and least to be said I'm still looking for employment. In the meantime I have been adding bits and pieces to this chapter so that is why it's a lengthy as it is. Just know I do intend to update this story more often so yeah. See you next chapter!**


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